The FPA — which represents roughly 400 foreign journalists based in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories — first appealed to the Supreme Court in Dec. 2023, and again in early 2024 after its first appeal was rejected. The court has since granted the state no fewer than 10 extensions to submit its response, effectively allowing the government to sidestep the issue altogether.

This time, the court’s patience with the state appeared to have run out. Justice Ruth Ronnen pressed state representatives to clarify what concrete changes on the ground would be required for the ban on foreign media access to be rescinded. “You can no longer say it’s the same risk,” she said, referring to the ceasefire that had been in place for over three months. “You must explain what else must take place for journalists’ entry to be permitted. It’s not enough to claim security concerns without explaining them.”

Nadav replied that he could provide further details only in a closed-door session — a request the court accepted, while denying Gilad Shaer, the attorney representing the FPA, access to the information presented to them in secret. After the closed session, the court once again declined to issue a ruling, instead instructing the state to submit another update within two months.