RAMALLAH, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Palestinian Media Forum on Monday strongly condemned a decision signed by Israeli war minister Israel Katz designating several Palestinian online media outlets under what Israel calls its “counterterrorism law,” effectively banning their operations.
In a statement, the Forum said the order targets a number of independent Palestinian news platforms, including Al-Asima Agency, Al-Bussala, Quds Plus, Miraj and Maydan al-Quds.
The Forum described the move as an attempt to silence independent Palestinian voices and criminalize media institutions that report on events on the ground.
It said the decision constitutes a blatant violation of press freedom and international standards protecting journalistic work, accusing Israel of using security justifications to suppress Palestinian political and media expression.
According to the statement, the targeted outlets provide field coverage of daily life under occupation, and the ban reflects what it called a systematic effort to curb Palestinian narratives before Arab and international audiences.
The Forum said the affected agencies and other professional Palestinian media organizations would continue their work despite the restrictions, and called on international media and human rights groups to condemn the decision.
It also urged the international community to hold accountable those who, it said, misuse counterterrorism laws to criminalize independent journalism and dismantle Palestinian media institutions.
