MK Tzvi Succot (Religious Zionism) submitted a bill that will authorize the Minister of Communications to block Al Jazeera broadcasts in Israel - even when the broadcast source is outside Israel.
The current law allows the channel's broadcasts and the removal of the website only if Al Jazeera content is being accessed through an Israeli content provider or a website on an Israeli server. This situation allows the channel to continue broadcasting freely through private satellite dishes, as is common and widespread in the Arab sector, social networks such as YouTube and others, and content sites that do not use an Israeli provider.
Now, according to MK Succot's bill, the Minister of Communications will be able to order the blocking of the channel's broadcasts actively, so that it will not be possible to watch it in Israel. For example, the Minister of Communications will be authorized to instruct the National Cyber Authority to use any method it has to prevent and intercept the broadcasts using the means at its disposal.
Succot also proposes imposing sanctions of up to six months in prison against a person acting to broadcast the Al Jazeera channel. Thus, the channel's broadcasts will constitute a criminal offense.
It was also determined in the proposal that the powers to close Al Jazeera will not expire at the end of the war or at the end of July, as determined if the war does not end by then - but will be linked to the emergency situation that has prevailed in Israel since 1948 and is extended every year.
"The previous law against Al Jazeera was an important signal, but did not lead to the desired change in the field. The incitement channel Al Jazeera sits in Qatar and incites against the State of Israel day by day hour by hour, and we allow this to happen. Now, the law I am promoting will prevent the terror channel from penetrating the borders of the State of Israel," concluded the MK.