The Israeli war cabinet approved regulations that would allow the occupation government to ban and shut down Al Mayadeen Media Network, which comprises a foreign channel as per the emergency regulations descriptions and broadcasts in "Israel" in three languages: Arabic, English, and Spanish.

According to the decision, Al Mayadeen is said to "harm national security."

In accordance with the emergency regulations enacted by the occupation government to prevent any foreign broadcast corporation from compromising "national security" and after the Minister of Security was convinced of the actual threat to "national security", the war cabinet approved early this morning the proposal by the Minister of Communications to shut down Al Mayadeen Media Network. 

The occupation's war cabinet has issued an order to block Al Mayadeen's online operations in occupied Palestine, and an order to seize its broadcasting equipment will be issued later today.

Among the decisions taken is issuing an order addressing all Internet service providers to prevent all users of the services from accessing the following websites "that were found, after examination by the Ministry of Information, to be Internet sites through which Al Mayadeen channel broadcasts":

Almayadeen.net
English.almayadeen.net
Espanol.almayadeen.net

Al Mayadeen threatens Israeli public image: Israeli Communications Minister

According to the Israeli Minister of Communications, the ban on Al Mayadeen is part of the measures taken by the Israeli regime in its "war in the public consciousness."

“Israel is at war. On land, in the air, at sea in cyberspace, in the electromagnetic spectrum, and in [the public] consciousness,” the Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said. 

*הודעה משותפת לשר התקשורת ולשר הביטחון:*

בהתאם לתקנות לשעת חירום שאישרה הממשלה, לשם מניעת פגיעה של גוף שידורים זר בבטחון המדינה, ולאחר קבלת חוות הדעת התומכות מכלל גופי הביטחון שעל פיהן שוכנע שר הביטחון כי קיימת פגיעה ממשית בבטחון המדינה, *אישר לפנות בוקר הקבינט המדיני-בטחוני*…

— אטילה שומפלבי Attila Somfalvi (@attilus) November 13, 2023

Gallant calls for security, economic measures against Al Mayadeen employees

Israeli Security Minister, Yoav Gallant, called Al Mayadeen employees "terrorists masquerading as journalists" and called for measures against them. 

"Israel will not allow Al Mayadeen to broadcast its dangerous propaganda which attempts, during the war, to undermine its [Israel's] security interests and serve the goals of the enemy," he said, adding that the measures taken against the network are "necessary actions against supporters of terrorism who pretend to be journalists."

"I have recommended taking action against the channel and implementing criminal and economic measures against its members [those who work for it]," Gallant said. 

'Ban is a decoration of honor for Al Mayadeen'

In rejection of the crackdown on free speech and the freedom of the press, many Lebanese and Arab figures expressed their solidarity with Al Mayadeen.

Notably, former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud affirmed that the Israeli decision to ban Al Mayadeen is a great honor for the media network. 

Lebanese Minister of Labor, Mustafa Bayram, emphasized that Al Mayadeen should take pride in exposing the enemy and in triumphing in the war of images, terminology, truth, and resistance.

Furthermore, the editor-in-chief of the Yemeni Al-Thawra newspaper, Abdul-Rahman al-Ahnoumi, believed that this decision reveals the crisis the entity is grappling with, stressing that it is an additional badge of honor for Al Mayadeen.

The President of the Arab International Center for Communication and Solidarity, Maan Bashour, confirmed that the meeting of the Israeli cabinet to discuss the ban on Al Mayadeen is a testimony to its competence and effectiveness.

In accordance with the emergency regulations approved by the government, the Israeli political and security cabinet agreed to take measures against #AlMayadeen Media Network.

As per the emergency regulations, the Minister of Communications has the right to order the closure of… pic.twitter.com/iKmTCODmp7

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 13, 2023

Kamal al-Khair, the head of the National Center in northern Lebanon, pointed out that this blatant attack on Al Mayadeen proves to the world that it speaks the truth.

Waleed Muhammad Ali, the coordinator of the Capable Together network, noted that the Israeli war cabinet is trying to snuff out the voice of Al Mayadeen, which contributed to exposing the occupation's lies.

In this context, the editor-in-chief of the electronic newspaper Rai Al Youm, Abdel Bari Atwan, stated, "The terrorist campaign that aims to silence Al Mayadeen is a badge of honor only earned by the honorable."

Head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, Omar Nazzal, affirmed, "We will not allow the silencing of the free voice."

Read more: PJS Head: We will stand with Al Mayadeen, its employees

The decision comes after Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi pushed for the Lebanese Al Mayadeen Network and other foreign broadcasters in "Israel" to be shut down.

This comes after Israeli media reported on Sunday that the Israeli war cabinet will discuss the cessation of Al Mayadeen Network in the occupied territories. 

Earlier, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the first leaks from the cabinet meeting indicated an approach toward banning the Al Mayadeen Network in occupied Palestine.

Our correspondent revealed that there were reports of potential raids on Al Mayadeen's bureaus, the seizure of equipment, and the detainment of reporters for interrogation.

Moreover, a few days ago, Israeli media reported that all the occupation’s security agencies, including the Mossad, the Shin Bet, the Israeli Army, and others, “made a recommendation to stop broadcasting Al Mayadeen” inside the occupied territories.

Meanwhile, the director of Al Mayadeen’s bureau in occupied Palestine, Nasser al-Laham, stressed that Al Mayadeen “will continue to broadcast what is happening, whatever the cabinet's decision is."

Read more: Israeli journalist, settlers ambush, threaten Al Mayadeen's reporter