JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

The Israeli Knesset (parliament) approved a bill in preliminary reading on Tuesday that would grant the government greater control over the country’s media sector.

According to a Knesset statement, the draft law introduces “comprehensive reforms in the field of broadcast regulation,” most notably by creating a single new regulatory authority to replace both the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council and the Second Authority for Television and Radio.

Fifty-four Knesset members voted in favor of the bill, while 47 opposed it, the statement said.

Under Israel’s legislative system, a bill must pass three readings before becoming law.

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN, citing analysts, warned that although the bill is presented as a step toward liberalizing the media sector, it may grant the government increased influence over news content, posing a long-term political and legal challenge to media independence.

Israel is among the countries with the strictest controls over the press, enforced through a system known as “military censorship” — a set of laws and regulations allowing the army and security services to block publication of any material deemed harmful to national security or revealing of sensitive information.