Israel Extends Law That Empowers Government To Shut Down Al Jazeera And Other Foreign Broadcasters Until 2027

On 23 December 2025, Israel’s parliament voted to extend until the end of 2027 a law that allows the government to shut down foreign broadcasters it deems a national-security threat without prior court approval.

“Critics say Israel’s media laws, including a ban on Al Jazeera, aim to silence dissenting voices, undermining democracy and free speech”

Al Jazeera

The measure codifies emergency powers first used in April–May 2024.

Al Jazeera

Those powers have been used to close Al Jazeera’s offices and seize equipment.

The Knesset approved the extension in a 22–10 vote.

Israeli officials say the powers are needed to stop channels they accuse of pro-Hamas bias or active participation in the October 7 attacks.

Critics inside Israel and abroad call the move a severe infringement on press freedom and say it will apply even in peacetime.

The extension directly reinforces measures already used against Al Jazeera, as Israeli authorities shuttered its offices, seized equipment and maintain the network’s ban under Israeli law.

Al Jazeera rejects accusations of bias and says the steps are violations of international law and media freedom.

albawaba

Internationally, actions such as the May 2024 seizure of an Associated Press live feed were later reversed after condemnation.

Reporters and unions say the new law will make similar suppressive actions easier and more durable.

Several outlets link the expanded media restrictions to broader Israeli policies that critics say entrench control over Palestinians and restrict humanitarian access.

“Al Jazeera was forced to close its office in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, in September 2024 Israel's parliament has extended an order allowing the government to shut down foreign broadcasters operating in the country”

BBC

Il Sole 24 ORE reports the Palestinian National Authority condemned recent settlement plans as consolidating 'colonial control' and continuing 'apartheid, settlement and annexation policies.'

Al Jazeera reports mass Palestinian deaths in Gaza, noting more than 70,000 dead, and cites UN accusations that Israeli actions have systematically destroyed Gaza's healthcare system and targeted medical staff; MSF warns that new operational rules could further block NGOs and jeopardise lifesaving care in Gaza in 2026.

Domestic Israeli politics and the broader media environment show additional escalation: hours after the vote, the cabinet approved a plan to close Army Radio (Galei Tzahal) by March 2026.

Journalists' unions and the Israel Democracy Institute say this would eliminate much independent public radio news and have announced a High Court petition.

Daijiworld

Critics inside Israel and abroad characterise the expansion of ministerial power and the absence of required judicial review as a further deterioration in media freedom.

Those concerns are reflected in Israel's drop to 112th in the Reporters Without Borders index.