The Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court has ruled there is a significant connection between the news network Al Jazeera and the Hamas terrorist group, concluding that the Qatari network has caused measurable harm to Israeli security. The court’s deputy president, Shai Yaniv, issued this ruling following Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s decision, approved by the security cabinet on May 5, to ban Al Jazeera in Israel.

In response to the ruling, Walid al-Omari, head of Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel, stated that Al Jazeera would resume operations in Israel on Monday unless an extension to the ban is secured by Karhi.

One particular piece of evidence involved a video aired by Al Jazeera that provided detailed instructions on how to damage an Israeli tank, which Yaniv interpreted as a direct threat to IDF forces. The judge rejected Al Jazeera’s defense that the video was merely informative about the tank’s capabilities, asserting that it was intended to assist Hamas.

Despite these findings, Yaniv reduced the ban period due to the lack of a hearing for Al Jazeera before the initial ban request.

He acknowledged the tension between the ban and the principle of press freedom but cited a precedent from the General Court of the European Union, which upheld a similar ban on the Russian state-sponsored RT France channel for its propaganda supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While Yaniv upheld the decision to temporarily ban the network, he reduced the ban period from the 45 days requested by Karhi to 35 days due to procedural concerns. The ban is now set to expire at midnight on June 9, with Karhi’s office working to extend it for another 45 days.

Al Jazeera’s broadcasts in Israel were suspended on May 5, with its website taken offline, equipment seized, and offices sealed under an emergency law passed in April.

This law allows for the temporary blocking of foreign outlets deemed to violate national security, with bans requiring approval from the prime minister and security cabinet and a maximum duration of 45 days, though extensions are possible as long as the emergency law remains in effect, currently set to expire on July 31.

Yaniv’s ruling was based on classified position papers from security agencies, which he found convincingly demonstrated a long-term connection between Hamas and Al Jazeera, with the network aiding Hamas’s objectives.

He noted the channel’s involvement in incitement and described a specific incident where Al Jazeera provided real-time coverage of IDF troop positions, endangering Israeli soldiers.