Israel ordered this Sunday to close the Qatari news network Al Jazeeraafter accusing her of threaten national security. Israeli police searched a hotel room in Jerusalem used by the company as a de facto office. The decision will apply as long as the war in Gaza lasts.
A video spread online showed plainclothes officers dismantling camera equipment in a hotel room. The company source Arab He said the hotel was in Jerusalem Oriental.
The Prime Minister’s Cabinet Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the chain closure while the war lasts Loop, alleging that the Qatari television network threatens national security.
Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu orders Al Jazeera offices to close
“Al Jazeera incitement channel will be closed in Israel,” Netanyahu posted on social networks after the unanimous vote of the Council of Ministers. According to a government statement, the communications minister signed orders to “act immediately,” but at least one lawmaker who supported the closure said that Al Jazeera could still try to block it in court.
The measure, according to the statement, will include the closure of offices in Israel, the confiscation of broadcasting equipment, the cutting of the channel of the cable and satellite companies and the blocking of their websites. He did not mention the channel’s operations in Gaza. There was no official comment from the Qatari government, which was referred to Al Jazeera.
The communications company has been critical of the Israeli military operation in Gaza, from where it has reported 24 hours a day throughout the war.
Previously, the channel had called Israeli efforts to restrict its operations an “escalation” and stated in a statement in April that it “forms part of a series of systematic Israeli attacks to silence Al Jazeera.”
Al Jazeera condemned Israel’s decision and called it a “criminal act”
Qatar founded Al Jazeera in 1996 and sees the network as a way to boost its global profile. According to the organization, Israeli authorities have deliberately attacked and killed several of its journalists, including Samer Abu Daqqa and Hamza AlDahdooh, both killed in Gaza during the conflict. Israel claims it does not attack journalists.
Al Jazeera described the closure of the offices as a “criminal action” and rejected the accusation that the chain threatens Israeli securitycalling it a “dangerous and ridiculous lie” that endangers its journalists. The chain also stated that it reserves the right to “take any legal action”.
“Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act “which violates human rights and the basic right of access to information,” the network said in a statement. “Al Jazeera affirms its right to continue providing news and information to its global audiences.”
The UN Human Rights Office also criticized the closure. “We regret the cabinet’s decision to close Al Jazeera in Israel,” he posted on the X social network.
“A free and independent media is essential to ensure transparency and accountability. Now even more so given the strict restrictions imposed on information from Gaza. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right. We urge the government to revoke the ban,” he added.
The Israeli Parliament last month ratified a law that allows the temporary closure in Israel of foreign stations considered a threat to national security.
The law allows Netanyahu and his cabinet security close the chain’s offices in Israel for 45 daysa period that can be renewed, so it could be in force until the end of July or until the main military operations in Gaza end.
Qatar, where several political leaders of Hamas, is trying to mediate an agreement Stop the fire and hostage release that could stop the Gaza war.
Source: Ambito
