Israel moves towards curbing civil liberties

As millions of people in the Arab world fight for greater democratic rights, Israel appears to be restricting some of its freedoms.

Proposed laws would allow for harsh penalties to be imposed on media organisations, which some claim to be a right-wing attack on civil liberties and free speech. There is a wave of government bills in the pipeline that would effect a whole range of civil liberties in Israel.

The changes include much bigger penalties for defamation that could gag the media, and foreign donations to Israeli non-governmental organisations would be subject to a huge 45 per cent tax.

Tony Birtley reports from Tel Aviv.