The ban will be in effect for 45 days. This does not apply to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Israel accuses the Qatari-funded TV channel of anti-Israel stance and cooperation with the Palestinian terrorist group ‘Hamas’. Al Jazeera denies these allegations.
The government’s decision is based on a recent law passed by parliament that allows the government to temporarily shut down foreign broadcasters if they are deemed a threat to national security.
Immediately after the government’s decision, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi signed an order to seize Al Jazeera’s equipment, including video editing equipment, cameras, microphones, servers, laptops and mobile phones.
Netanyahu announced his intention to stop Al Jazeera’s activities in Israel already at the beginning of April. At the time, these plans were condemned by the United States, stating that Washington does not always agree with Al Jazeera’s coverage, but supports a free press.
Israel has also previously threatened to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in the country, but so far has not done so.
It is true that targeting this television company may turn out to be risky, since Qatar is the main mediator in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas. It helped broker a week-long cease-fire in the Gaza Strip in November, but it has now been holding talks for weeks aimed at bringing another pause to the war.
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