International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

Twenty-two countries belong to the Arab League, established in 1945. Most of those countries were ruled by the Ottomans, British, French, or Italians. Thus, Arab countries have largely adopted legislation based mostly on the legal systems of their former colonial rulers. Egypt, however, has a longer and more established legal tradition that dates back to the Egyptian constitution of 1923, while some Gulf nations that were British “protectorates” until 1971 have a less tested or developed legal tradition. The normative sources regulating speech rights in Israel consist of a number of British mandatory statutes incorporated into Israeli law in 1948 from the Law and Administration Ordinance, as well as Israeli legislation enacted by the Knesset after the establishment of the state. All Arab countries with the exception of Iraq still require licensing before publication. In almost all countries, minimum capitalization is required. Sometimes, licensing involves obtaining a certificate of good conduct from the ministry of interior or the intelligence services. In Israel , the 1933 ordinance based on British law, which mandates licensing of publications, the approval of the credentials of journalists, and the closure of publications, is still in force (→ Licensing of Journalists ). Although Israel kept the British Defense (Emergency) 1945 Regulations on the statute books, the government ... log in or subscribe to read full text