Israel limits journalistic expression

Israeli government is set to further limit freedom of expression through an amednment that is going to be debated in the regime's parliament.

The amendment, added at the request of MK Yisrael Eichler (United Torah Judaism) right before the bill went up to a vote, forbids journalists that work for the Israel Broadcast Authority (IBA) from expressing a personal opinion on air - in essence limiting their freedom of expression.

The Knesset passed the law in second and third readings with a majority of 25 in favor and 18 against.

The new legislation determines that the IBA will be shut down in March 2016, and replaced with a new authority called "The Israeli Broadcast Corporation."

Moments before the vote in the early hours of Thursday morning, Eichler added an amendment to the legislation that instructs journalists working for the authority to avoid "the expression of personal opinion" among others.

This amendment, which was passed with the new law, has enraged the IBA's journalists, who view it as an attempt to censor them.

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, meanwhile, slammed the legislation.

"Netanyahu and his government want to bring down the freedom of expression. It's inconvenient to them that journalists think and express their opinions, so they silence and trample and twist basic laws to that end.

A democracy must allow its citizens and journalists to have complete freedom of expression," he said.