Israel retains a British-era law giving the military the power to review and restrict the press
When Israel declared independence in 1948 under Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, it retained a British Mandate-era Press Ordinance giving the military the power to review and restrict publications on security grounds, later formalized through an Editors' Committee that let most Israeli newspapers self-restrict security matters.1
- Country
- Israel (RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180)
- Where
- Israel
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Prior restraint
- Stage
- Silence (see the ladder)
- Head of government at the time
- David Ben-Gurion
- Issue of the day
- Israel's 1948 declaration of independence and the war that followed created an immediate perceived security need, which the retained British-era Press Ordinance and later Editors' Committee arrangement were meant to address by keeping military information out of print.
- Outcome
- Ongoing, January 1, 1989. The military press-review system built on the 1948 Press Ordinance and the 1953 Editors' Committee remained in force through the 1980s and beyond.
- Era
- The 1940s
What happened
When Israel declared independence in 1948, its new government under Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion retained the Press Ordinance, a law from the British Mandate period that gave a military press reviewer the power to review and block publication of material on security grounds. In 1953, the military and the Israeli press formalized their relationship by creating the Editors' Committee, an agreement under which mainstream Israeli newspapers could largely review their own security content, submitting to the military press reviewer only articles that touched directly on national security matters. Newspapers and other outlets operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which came under Israeli military administration after the 1967 war, received no comparable self-press controls privilege; their editors had to submit every article to military press reviewers each night before publication. The system, with dozens of categories of information still legally requiring submission to the military press reviewer, remained a distinctive feature of Israeli press regulation for decades.123
What reason was given
The Press Ordinance and its later Editors' Committee arrangement were justified on national security grounds, aimed at preventing publication of information the military judged could aid Israel's adversaries.123
What changed for reporting
Mainstream Israeli newspapers could largely handle everyday coverage on their own but had to submit security-related articles to the military press reviewer, while Palestinian publications in the occupied territories had to submit every article for review each night.3
Timeline
1948
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| David Ben-Gurion | announced | Prime Minister of Israel |
Sources
Claims cited
- When Israel became independent in 1948, it retained the Press Ordinance from the British Mandate period, which gave the military the power to censor publications on security grounds.
When Israel became independent, it retained the Press Ordinance.
History of Censorship in Israel, EBSCO Research Starters. Claim 198, checked 2026-09-22. - In 1953, cooperation between the Israeli military and the press was institutionalized with the formation of the Editors' Committee.
In 1953, cooperation between the Israeli military and the press was institutionalized with the formation of the Editors' Committee.
History of Censorship in Israel, EBSCO Research Starters. Claim 199, checked 2026-09-22. - Editors of newspapers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip had to submit all their articles to military censors each night, unlike newspapers elsewhere in Israel that could self-censor.
Editors of newspapers in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip had to submit all articles to the military censors each night.
History of Censorship in Israel, EBSCO Research Starters. Claim 200, checked 2026-09-22.