A bill granting the Israeli government the authority to close foreign media outlets has drawn the attention of the international community and sparked criticism. This move is seen as an attempt to cover up Israel's actions against the Palestinian people.
Redaksiya reports that Izzat al-Rishq, head of Hamas's Press Office, described the Israeli parliament's vote on a bill granting the government the authority to close foreign media organizations without a court order as a direct threat to press freedom and an intensification of the policy to silence opponents. Rishq emphasized that this law is a clear indication of Israel's intention to escalate its crimes against the Palestinian people.
Rishq stated that Israel's move aims to prevent the world from learning about the crimes and attacks it commits against the Palestinian people. He noted that the content Israel deems harmful to state security actually exposes crimes such as "murder, displacement, settlement, Judaization, and destruction of homes," and documents the suffering of Palestinians under occupation. Rishq called on international press syndicates, associations, and media organizations to unite their forces against Israel "so that international journalists can enter the occupied Palestinian territories, see the truth, report what is happening, and support the Palestinian cause."
He called on countries and human rights organizations "to take immediate action and apply all kinds of pressure for the repeal of this law." Rishq stated that the suppression of foreign media can only be interpreted as a deliberate step aimed at concealing these violations, and that it should be condemned and held accountable. It should be noted that the bill allowing the government to close foreign media organizations without a court order was approved yesterday in the first reading in the Israeli parliament. In the parliamentary vote, 50 out of 120 deputies voted in favor, and 41 voted against. For the bill to come into force, it must be approved in three parliamentary votes.