Al Jazeera says YouTube complied with an Israeli 90-day extension that bars broadcasters and internet companies from carrying the network’s content, resulting in livestreams being blocked inside Israel. The network accused the platform of failing to uphold the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and called the move part of a broader pattern of actions against journalists. Al Jazeera has urged platforms and rights groups to restore its channels and condemn the restrictions.
Al Jazeera Says YouTube Complied With Israel’s Ban, Blocking Its Livestreams
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Al Jazeera has publicly accused YouTube of complying with an Israeli law that effectively blocked the network’s livestreams inside Israel, warning that the move shows how major technology platforms can be co-opted by governments to curb independent reporting.
The network said YouTube’s action came days after Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karahi ordered a 90-day extension of an existing ban that prevents broadcasters and internet firms from carrying Al Jazeera content in Israel.
By Thursday, Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera Mubasher livestreams were reportedly inaccessible inside Israel. The network criticised the platform for failing to uphold the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
"Such principles mandate that global tech companies ensure freedom of expression and resist government pressures that lead to the withholding of the truth and the silencing of independent journalism," the statement said.
Al Jazeera framed the takedown as part of a broader pattern of actions it says target the network and other journalists, including detention, office closures and deadly strikes. The network said that, since October 2023, more than 270 journalists and media workers have been killed — a figure Al Jazeera attributes to its own reporting on the conflict.
Some victims named by the network include correspondent Anas al-Sharif, 28, who was killed alongside three colleagues when a media tent in Gaza City was struck in August.
Al Jazeera also recalled several government measures taken against it: in May 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted to close the network’s operations in Israel after parliament passed a law allowing the temporary shutdown of foreign broadcasters deemed a security threat. In September 2024, Israeli forces raided Al Jazeera’s Ramallah office in the occupied West Bank, seizing equipment and documents. In December 2024, parliament approved an extension of the 2024 statute — known as the "Al Jazeera law" — prolonging its effect for two more years.
In its latest statement, Al Jazeera urged YouTube and other digital platforms to lift the block immediately and called on media freedom and human rights organisations to condemn what the network described as targeted actions against the press.
Responses And Context
At the time of publication, YouTube had not issued a detailed public response to Al Jazeera’s statement. The case highlights growing tensions between national security measures and digital platforms' responsibilities under international human rights frameworks.
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