The Israeli government decided on Sunday to stop the operation of the Al Jazeera TV channel in the country, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the “X” platform.
The decision means that Al Jazeera journalists are prohibited from reporting from Israel, as well as rebroadcasting the television company’s programs in Israel and access to its websites is blocked.
This ban will be valid for 45 days, but the period can be extended. The ban does not apply to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Israel accuses the Qatari-funded TV channel of taking an anti-Israel stance and collaborating with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.” Al Jazeera denies these accusations.
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 has not yet 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.
Tags: Jazeera journalists banned reporting Israel
