JERUSALEM – The Israeli cabinet unanimously approved the shutdown of the Al Jazeera channel and office in the country today, reported Xinhua.
Under the decision, Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English operations in Israel could be banned for an initial period of 45 days, with the possibility of indefinite renewal.
Immediately after the cabinet meeting, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi signed decrees formalising the ban on the Qatari-based news organisation.
“Anyone who incites against the State of Israel… will no longer broadcast from Israel here, and his equipment will be confiscated,” Karhi said in a video posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
The move came after the Israeli Parliament, or Knesset, approved a law in April granting the cabinet authority to shut down foreign broadcasts in Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deems them, based on the opinion of Israeli security services, to pose a national security threat.
Israel has long accused Al Jazeera of having close ties with Hamas, which the channel denies, and a pro-Palestinian stance in its coverage of Israel’s actions in the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank. – May 5, 2024