On 1 April, the Israeli Knesset approved the so-called Al Jazeera law, granting the communications minister the power to close foreign media outlets deemed security risks, with Al Jazeera in particular in its crosshairs.
“We have brought an efficient and rapid tool to act against those who use freedom of the press to harm Israel’s security, IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers, and to incite terrorism during wartime,” said the communications minister, Shlomo Karhi. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he intended “to act immediately in accordance with the new law”.
