Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his Cabinet has unanimously voted to close broadcaster Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel.
The move came after Israeli lawmakers recently approved a new media law widely referred to as the “Al Jazeera law” that gives the government powers to ban foreign broadcasters if they are deemed a risk to state security.
Netanyahu announced the Cabinet decision in a post on X, formerly Twitter, in which he called Al Jazeera “the hate channel.”
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said on Sunday that he had signed the closure order and that it would be implemented immediately.
According to Israeli reports, this means that offices in Israel could be closed, broadcasting equipment confiscated, the station removed from cable and satellite television channels and its website blocked.
The Israeli government had accused Al Jazeera, which is based in the Gulf emirate of Qatar and has a wide reach in the Arab world, of biased reporting on the ongoing war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
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Al Jazeera has reported extensively on the catastrophic situation in the Palestinian territory and shown images of death and destruction that are rarely seen on Israeli television stations.
The channel also regularly shows videos of attacks on Israeli soldiers by Hamas’ military arm, the Qassam Brigades.
The channel has rejected allegations of bias and, in the past, accused Netanyahu of spreading “new lies and inflammatory slanders” against the network.
Al Jazeera has also accused the Israeli military of deliberately targeting journalists on several occasions.
Netanyahu has accused Al Jazeera of “damaging Israel’s security, actively participating in the massacre on October 7 and inciting against Israeli soldiers.”
Al-Jazeera was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Doha. It was one of the first Arab TV stations to publish critical reports on the region and quickly gained popularity.
The Israeli government’s efforts to ban Al Jazeera’s operations have drawn criticism from some of the country’s most prominent allies, including the United States and Germany.
The U.S. State Department expressed irritation of the decision and reiterated support for the free press all over the world.
A German Foreign Office spokesman also criticised the so-called Al Jazeera law last month: “A free and diverse press landscape is the cornerstone of a liberal democracy.”
Journalism associations kicks against closure
Meanwhile, two leading international organisations that campaign for freedom of the press and freedom of expression have strongly condemned the closure of the Arab television station Al Jazeera in Israel.
“Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the closure of Al Jazeera’s office in Israel and the blocking of the channel’s websites,” CPJ Programme Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said in New York on Sunday.
“This move sets an extremely alarming precedent for restricting international media outlets working in Israel,” he added.
“The Israeli cabinet must allow Al-Jazeera and all international media outlets to operate freely in Israel, especially during wartime.”
The French-based organisation Reporters Without Borders stated via the platform X, formerly Twitter: “RSF strongly condemns freedom-threatening legislation that censors a TV network for its coverage of the war in Gaza.”
A few hours earlier, the Israeli government had issued a decision banning the TV channel Al Jazeera from operating in Israel.
Inspectors from the Ministry of Communications immediately searched the broadcaster’s premises in East Jerusalem and confiscated equipment and devices.
Cable and satellite providers took the broadcaster off the air and its websites were blocked.
Israel had accused Al Jazeera of carrying out propaganda for the Islamist Hamas, against which Israel is waging war in the Gaza Strip.
Since the beginning of the war, Al Jazeera has reported extensively on the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip and shown unflattering images of death and destruction.
However, the channel also regularly publishes videos of attacks on Israeli soldiers by Hamas’ military arm.
dpa
