The order to shut down Al Mayadeen is the first to be made in line with the emergency regulations approved on 20 October, that allow the temporary ban of media outlets alleged to “undermine national security”.
On 13 November, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi confirmed that the security cabinet had approved emergency measures to close Al Mayadeen satellite news station in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. According to Karhi, the broadcaster “serves the interests of Israel’s enemies and harms national security”.
In a statement, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant accused the network of turning into "a mouthpiece of Hezbollah", and cast blame upon journalists for "supporting terror while pretending to be reporters", AFP reported.
On 6 November, Al Mayadeen correspondent in Jerusalem, Hanaa Mahameed, was harassed by a group of individuals, who identified themselves as Israeli reporters, and accused of “spreading fake news”.
The chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Mayadeen media network, Ghassan Ben Jeddou, commented on the ban: "The Israeli occupation thinks of itself as sending a renewed, direct threat to Al Mayadeen and maybe a message to terrorise the media of the free people wherever they are [...]
"The occupation authorities' ban is only part of their systematic censorship policy to undermine the freedom of the press and freedom of speech even if they falsely claim otherwise,” Ben Jeddou concluded.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “We sounded the alarm last month on Israel’s attempt to censor media coverage of the ongoing war in Gaza using security concerns as an excuse to restrict critical media that do not confirm the government’s narrative. The ban on Al Mayadeen is a serious blow on media pluralism and the public’s right to know. We urge Israel to reverse its decision and safeguard media freedom in the country”.