Israeli parliament approves bill to make 'Al-Jazeera law' permanent

The Israeli parliament has approved the preliminary stage of a bill that would make permanent currently temporary powers held by the Communications Minister to shut down foreign media outlets.

The "Al-Jazeera Law" as it has been branded, due to the Qatari media outlet being the primary target, was passed in April and allowed for the closure of outlets in Israel that risked “harm to the state’s security."

The new bill will cancel the original July 31 expiration date and make the law permanent.