Arabic TV channel
Netanyahu: Al-Jazeera in Israel will be closed
The lettering and logo of the Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera can be seen on the company’s premises. photo
© Tim Brakemeier/dpa
Israel has long announced that it wants to stop the operation of Al-Jazeera in the country. The move had already been approved by Parliament. Now the government is also voting for it.
Israel wants the Arabic TV station Close Al-Jazeera in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday on X (formerly Twitter) that his government had decided this unanimously. Netanyahu spoke of “the inflammatory channel Al-Jazeera”.
Netanyahu had already announced the rapid closure of the TV network in Israel, which is based in the Gulf emirate of Qatar, more than a month ago. Parliament had previously approved the so-called Al Jazeera law. This allows foreign TV channels to be closed if they are classified as a risk to state security.
Against the backdrop of the Gaza war, Netanyahu had accused the broadcaster of “damaging Israel’s security, taking an active part in the massacre on October 7th and inciting hatred against Israeli soldiers.”
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said he had signed the closure order and it would be implemented immediately. According to media reports, this could mean that offices in Israel could be closed, the broadcasting equipment confiscated, the channel removed from the programming of cable and satellite television providers and its website blocked.
What does Israel accuse the broadcaster of?
Israel accuses the broadcaster of biased reporting. Since the beginning of the Gaza War, Al Jazeera has reported extensively on the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip and has shown images of death and destruction that are rarely seen on Israeli TV channels. The channel also regularly shows videos from Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, of attacks on Israeli soldiers.
Al Jazeera was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Doha. It was considered one of the first Arab TV channels to also publish critical reports about the region and therefore quickly gained popularity in the Arab world. Critics, however, accuse Al-Jazeera of acting as a mouthpiece for Hamas. Before the outbreak of the Gaza war, Qatar itself was considered one of the terrorist organization’s most important financial supporters. Top representatives of Hamas also live in Doha. The US government reacted irritably to the plans of its close ally right from the start. A US State Department spokesman said it supports a free press around the world. The federal government had also criticized the so-called Al Jazeera law. A spokesman for the Foreign Office said a good month ago: “A free and diverse press landscape is the cornerstone of a liberal democracy.”
Al Jazeera rejected allegations of bias and condemned the decision. The TV network based in the Gulf emirate of Qatar described Netanyahu’s allegations as “dangerous, ridiculous lies.” These are “inflammatory slanders against the network”. The latest Israeli measures are part of a series of “systematic Israeli attacks to silence Al Jazeera.” We reserve the right to take legal action.