“Israeli Court Extends Al Jazeera Ban”: An Israeli court in Jerusalem has officially prolonged the government’s closure of Al Jazeera, a Qatar-based news network, for an additional 35 days, as confirmed by the justice ministry on Friday, June 14th. This decision marks a continuation of the ongoing legal battle between Israel and Al Jazeera, which has faced allegations of biased reporting by Israeli authorities.
“The Tel Aviv district court confirmed the communications minister’s instructions to stop Al Jazeera channel broadcasts, close its bureaus in Israel, block access to its websites and seize the equipment,” the justice ministry said.
The order, issued on Thursday after a prosecutor’s request for its confirmation and extension, was for an additional 35 days, the ministry said on its website.
The shutdown does not affect broadcasts from the Israeli-occupied West Bank or the Gaza Strip, from which Al Jazeera still covers Israel’s war with Hamas Palestinian militants.
Parliament passed a security law in April enabling it to ban foreign media broadcasts in Israel that undermine security.
The government on May 5 approved a decision to ban Al Jazeera from broadcasting in Israel and to close its offices for 45 days.
But on Jun 9 the Supreme Court, responding to a petition from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, referred the case to the Tel Aviv district court.
The government then asked the court to confirm the ban for 45 days. The judge authorised a 35-day ban, citing legal flaws.
The Tel Aviv court said freedom of expression “is particularly important in times of war. However, when there is a significant infringement upon the security of the state, priority is given to the latter consideration”.
