{"id":202431,"date":"2025-06-24T17:07:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T17:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/?p=202431"},"modified":"2025-06-24T17:07:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T17:07:51","slug":"military-now-controls-war-coverage-as-israel-tightens-grip-on-press-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/military-now-controls-war-coverage-as-israel-tightens-grip-on-press-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"Military now controls war coverage as Israel tightens grip on press freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a fierce bid to control the narrative of its ongoing military aggression, Israel has imposed sweeping new censorship rules requiring all media \u2013 both domestic and international \u2013 to submit reports on missile and drone strike locations to military censors before publication. Brigadier-General Kobi Mandelblit, Israel\u2019s chief censor, announced the draconian directive recently, effectively criminalizing independent journalism and granting the military unchecked power to suppress real-time information. The move, framed as a matter of \u201cnational security<\/em>,\u201d has drawn fierce criticism from free speech advocates who warn it is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to conceal Israel\u2019s war crimes and genocide from the world.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Military censorship now mandatory<\/strong><\/p>\n

Under the new rules<\/a>, any reporting on the location of strikes \u2013 whether in print, online, or even in private chats \u2013 needs to first be approved by Israel\u2019s military censor. The directive explicitly states: \u201cAny person who prints or publishes printed matter or a publication regarding the location of a strike or hit by enemy war materiel, including missiles of any kind and UAVs, in the media or online (including virtual communication networks, blogs and chats, etc.)<\/em>\u201d needs to submit it for pre-approval.<\/p>\n

Violators face criminal charges, with Mandelblit warning that unauthorized reporting is \u201cliable to severely harm the security of the state<\/em>.\u201d This Orwellian measure extends beyond traditional media, targeting citizen journalists, bloggers, and even private social media users who dare to share unfiltered information about attacks.<\/p>\n

This latest crackdown is not an isolated incident, but part of Israel\u2019s long-standing suppression of press freedom. Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 164 journalists in Gaza alone, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Many more have been targeted in Lebanon, the occupied West Bank, and now Iran.<\/p>\n

In November 2024, the authorities sanctioned the liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz<\/em> for its critical coverage of government actions. The military censor has already blocked 1,635 articles in 2024 and imposed partial restrictions on another 6,265, for an average of 21 interventions per day.<\/p>\n

The censorship extends beyond security matters, covering topics as broad as arms deals, intelligence operations, and even foreign affairs. Journalists are forbidden from indicating when parts of their reporting have been redacted, leaving readers in the dark about what they\u2019re not being told.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s media repression stands in contrast to the democratic values it claims to uphold. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Israel ranks 112th in the world for press freedom, placing it below Haiti, South Sudan, and Chad. RSF notes that \u201cpress freedom, media plurality, and editorial independence have been increasingly restricted in Israel since the start of the war in Gaza<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike Western democracies, Israel maintains a military censor with the power to outright ban reporting. No comparable institution exists in the U.S., UK, or EU, where press freedom is constitutionally protected. Even during wartime, most democracies allow journalists to operate independently, but this is something Israel has systematically dismantled.<\/p>\n

The real motive: Concealing war crimes<\/strong><\/p>\n

The timing of this crackdown is no coincidence. As Israel escalates its attacks on Iran and continues its genocidal campaign in Gaza, it seeks to control the flow of information to avoid international condemnation. Recent leaks, such as footage of the Bazan Industrial Complex strike, have exposed the devastating impact of Israeli military actions, prompting this draconian response.<\/p>\n

Critics argue that the censorship has little to do with national security and everything to do with suppressing evidence of war crimes. By criminalizing independent reporting, Israel ensures that only its sanitized, state-approved version of events reaches the public.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s latest censorship rules mark a dangerous escalation in its war on truth. By forcing all media to submit to military oversight, the regime is effectively abolishing independent journalism and replacing it with state propaganda.<\/p>\n

In an era where information is power, Israel\u2019s actions reveal a regime terrified of transparency, desperate to hide its atrocities from the world. But no amount of censorship can erase the truth forever. As history has shown, oppressive regimes that silence dissent ultimately crumble under the weight of their own lies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

yogaesoteric
\nJune 24, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a fierce bid to control the narrative of its ongoing military aggression, Israel has imposed sweeping new censorship rules requiring all media \u2013 both domestic and international \u2013 to submit reports on missile and drone strike locations to military censors before publication. Brigadier-General Kobi Mandelblit, Israel\u2019s chief censor, announced the draconian directive recently, effectively […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1090],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-202431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-censored-news-military-5127-en-censored-sensational-news-3480-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202431"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202435,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202431\/revisions\/202435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}