Israel’s ‘unprecedented’ censorship regime targets Western media

The Israeli army issued an unprecedented English-language censorship order banning media agencies from reporting without the prior approval of its propaganda unit in the military known as the Israeli Military Censor. Commanded by the chief censor, a military officer appointed by the defence minister, the unit is located within the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate.

The memo is titled “Operation Swords of Iron”, the same name Israel has given to its military campaign in Gaza where 21,000 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October. The high death toll and level of devastation makes Israel’s onslaught on the besieged population of Gaza the bloodiest military campaign in living memory.

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Details of the memo obtained by the Intercept reveals how the Israeli army has taken extreme measures to control the narrative about its military campaign, widely considered to be a genocide. As many as eight critical subjects related to the conflict have been banned.

Among the prohibited topics are details about weapons used by the occupation army, security cabinet leaks and stories about individuals held as prisoners of war by Hamas. With the censorship memo written in English, it’s speculated that the directives are intended for Western media sympathetic to the apartheid regime.

According to Michael Omer-Man, former editor-in-chief of Israel’s +972 Magazine and director of research for Israel–Palestine at Democracy in the Arab World Now (DAWN), the instructions in the memo are unprecedented, emphasising the IDF’s efforts to control the narrative surrounding the ongoing conflict.

“I haven’t ever seen instructions like this sent from the censor aside from general notices broadly telling outlets to comply, and even then it was only sent to certain people,” said Omer-Man.

The document highlights the censorship’s focus on the activities of the occupation army and Israeli security forces, urging media outlets to submit materials for censorship before broadcast.

The Israeli Military Censor, located within the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate, has faced concerns about politicisation. Recent reports indicate that the censor complained about pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to crack down on specific media outlets without legitimate reasons.

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Since the commencement of Israel’s aggression, over 6,500 new items have faced censorship by the Israeli government, according to Guy Lurie, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute. This figure is said to be approximately four times higher than before the conflict, highlighting the increased scrutiny.

Adding further weight to the claim that the directive is intended for the Western media is Israel’s treatment of foreign journalists. Foreign journalists working in Israel must obtain government permission, including a declaration that they will abide by the censor.

“In order to get a visa as a journalist, you have to get approval from GPO [Government Press Office,] and therefore you have to sign a document that says you will comply with the censor,” said Omer-Man. “That in itself is probably against the ethics guidelines at a bunch of papers.”