SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Shlomo Karhi, a member of the right-wing Likud party who is currently Israel's communications minister, speaks in the Knesset on November 2, 2021.
(Photo: Shlomo Karhi/Facebook)
Israel Readying Emergency Regulations Allowing Arrest of Journalists for Factual Reporting
One Israeli journalist said Israel's far-right government—trying to stop Al Jazeera's Gaza broadcasts—is "acting more like Putin's" regime.
Oct 16, 2023
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi confirmed Sunday that he is drafting regulations that will empower him to order police to arrest journalists for factual reporting and target anyone he believes has damaged national morale during Israel's ongoing war against Gaza.
Haaretz reports that Karhi—a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party—is preparing draft emergency regulations titled "Limiting Aid to the Enemy through Communication" which would allow him to direct police to arrest any civilian, remove them from their home, and seize their property if he believes they have disseminated information that might harm national morale or be used as "enemy propaganda."
The new regulations will apply to the general public as well as local and foreign media professionals—and will be applicable to both truthful and inaccurate reporting.
"It should be noted that the draft regulations, as formulated by the communications minister, fully contradict Israel's democratic values and are unlikely to be approved by the government's legal counsel."
In a Sunday morning radio interview with Galey Israel, Karhi acknowledged that the proposed regulations are aimed at shutting down broadcasts by Qatari state-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera in Israel and Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed more than 2,800 people including at least 700 children while injuring over 10,000 others since last Saturday's Hamas-led infiltration attack that left upwards of 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers dead, 3,200 injured, and around 200 others kidnapped.
"As far as I'm concerned, they won't be able to operate in Israel, [but] I don't know what the legal counsel will leave from the regulations I've introduced—including the confiscation of equipment and office closures," Kahri said.
According to Haaretz's Avi Bar-Eli:
It should be noted that the draft regulations, as formulated by the communications minister, fully contradict Israel's democratic values and are unlikely to be approved by the government's legal counsel.
Ironically, Karhi himself falls under the definition of offenses he published, having previously expressed contempt for Supreme Court justices, refused to state he will obey Supreme Court rulings, and, six months ago, expressed disdain for reserve soldiers who refused to volunteer.
Israeli journalist Etan Nechin wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Netanyahu's government "is acting more like Putin's."
Earlier this year, Kahri courted controversy by announcing his intent to shut down Kan, Israel's public broadcaster—which he accused of "left-wing bias"—and Army Radio. He has also introduced legislation to shutter Israel's media watchdog and stands accused of favoring pro-Netanyahu outlets.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi confirmed Sunday that he is drafting regulations that will empower him to order police to arrest journalists for factual reporting and target anyone he believes has damaged national morale during Israel's ongoing war against Gaza.
Haaretz reports that Karhi—a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party—is preparing draft emergency regulations titled "Limiting Aid to the Enemy through Communication" which would allow him to direct police to arrest any civilian, remove them from their home, and seize their property if he believes they have disseminated information that might harm national morale or be used as "enemy propaganda."
The new regulations will apply to the general public as well as local and foreign media professionals—and will be applicable to both truthful and inaccurate reporting.
"It should be noted that the draft regulations, as formulated by the communications minister, fully contradict Israel's democratic values and are unlikely to be approved by the government's legal counsel."
In a Sunday morning radio interview with Galey Israel, Karhi acknowledged that the proposed regulations are aimed at shutting down broadcasts by Qatari state-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera in Israel and Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed more than 2,800 people including at least 700 children while injuring over 10,000 others since last Saturday's Hamas-led infiltration attack that left upwards of 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers dead, 3,200 injured, and around 200 others kidnapped.
"As far as I'm concerned, they won't be able to operate in Israel, [but] I don't know what the legal counsel will leave from the regulations I've introduced—including the confiscation of equipment and office closures," Kahri said.
According to Haaretz's Avi Bar-Eli:
It should be noted that the draft regulations, as formulated by the communications minister, fully contradict Israel's democratic values and are unlikely to be approved by the government's legal counsel.
Ironically, Karhi himself falls under the definition of offenses he published, having previously expressed contempt for Supreme Court justices, refused to state he will obey Supreme Court rulings, and, six months ago, expressed disdain for reserve soldiers who refused to volunteer.
Israeli journalist Etan Nechin wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Netanyahu's government "is acting more like Putin's."
Earlier this year, Kahri courted controversy by announcing his intent to shut down Kan, Israel's public broadcaster—which he accused of "left-wing bias"—and Army Radio. He has also introduced legislation to shutter Israel's media watchdog and stands accused of favoring pro-Netanyahu outlets.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi confirmed Sunday that he is drafting regulations that will empower him to order police to arrest journalists for factual reporting and target anyone he believes has damaged national morale during Israel's ongoing war against Gaza.
Haaretz reports that Karhi—a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party—is preparing draft emergency regulations titled "Limiting Aid to the Enemy through Communication" which would allow him to direct police to arrest any civilian, remove them from their home, and seize their property if he believes they have disseminated information that might harm national morale or be used as "enemy propaganda."
The new regulations will apply to the general public as well as local and foreign media professionals—and will be applicable to both truthful and inaccurate reporting.
"It should be noted that the draft regulations, as formulated by the communications minister, fully contradict Israel's democratic values and are unlikely to be approved by the government's legal counsel."
In a Sunday morning radio interview with Galey Israel, Karhi acknowledged that the proposed regulations are aimed at shutting down broadcasts by Qatari state-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera in Israel and Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed more than 2,800 people including at least 700 children while injuring over 10,000 others since last Saturday's Hamas-led infiltration attack that left upwards of 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers dead, 3,200 injured, and around 200 others kidnapped.
"As far as I'm concerned, they won't be able to operate in Israel, [but] I don't know what the legal counsel will leave from the regulations I've introduced—including the confiscation of equipment and office closures," Kahri said.
According to Haaretz's Avi Bar-Eli:
It should be noted that the draft regulations, as formulated by the communications minister, fully contradict Israel's democratic values and are unlikely to be approved by the government's legal counsel.
Ironically, Karhi himself falls under the definition of offenses he published, having previously expressed contempt for Supreme Court justices, refused to state he will obey Supreme Court rulings, and, six months ago, expressed disdain for reserve soldiers who refused to volunteer.
Israeli journalist Etan Nechin wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Netanyahu's government "is acting more like Putin's."
Earlier this year, Kahri courted controversy by announcing his intent to shut down Kan, Israel's public broadcaster—which he accused of "left-wing bias"—and Army Radio. He has also introduced legislation to shutter Israel's media watchdog and stands accused of favoring pro-Netanyahu outlets.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.