Israel’s government has long viewed Al Jazeera as a mouthpiece for Hamas. Now the Knesset has passed a law that should stop the broadcast in the country. Prime Minister Netanyahu announced immediate implementation.
Israel’s parliament has passed a law allowing the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera to be banned. The law passed the Knesset with a large majority – 70 votes in favor and ten against. The no votes in the Knesset came predominantly from Arab members of parliament. The new law further narrows the space for democracy in Israel, said a representative of Arab politicians in the Israeli parliament.
The law allows Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, with the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to stop broadcasting a foreign broadcaster if the broadcaster endangers the “national security of the country.” The news site ynet reported that a broadcaster’s offices in Israel could then be closed, its broadcasting equipment confiscated, the channel removed from cable and satellite television providers’ schedules and its website blocked.
Netanyahu: “Hamas mouthpiece”
The law is primarily aimed at the news channel Al Jazeera, which is financed by the Gulf state of Qatar. Prime Minister Netanyahu, who remains in the hospital until Tuesday after a hernia operation, said after the farewell that it was time to “remove the mouthpiece of Hamas from our country.” He will take immediate measures to implement the new law and stop broadcasting.
Israel accuses the Qatari broadcaster of biased reporting. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Al Jazeera has reported extensively on the catastrophic situation in the coastal area and shown images of death and destruction that are rarely seen on Israeli TV channels. The channel also regularly shows videos from Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, often of attacks on Israeli soldiers.
At first Israel was considerate
As early as October, the Netanyahu government signaled that it would ban the channel in Israel. However, in view of Qatar’s role as mediator in the negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, these plans were initially put aside. However, from January onwards, Israel’s army toughened its tone towards the broadcaster.
She described two Al Jazeera journalists killed in an air strike in the Gaza Strip as “terror fighters.” In February, the army command said a wounded Al Jazeera employee was a “deputy company commander” of the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas. Al Jazeera firmly rejects the allegations and accuses Israel of systematically targeting the channel’s employees in the Gaza Strip.
USA concerned about freedom of the press
As Israel’s most important ally, the USA expressed concern about the plans of the government and the Knesset. “We believe in freedom of the press. It is crucial,” emphasized White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre in Washington. The United States supported the important work carried out by journalists around the world. “This includes those who report on the conflict in Gaza.”
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: “Much of what we know about what is happening in Gaza is thanks to the reporters who do their work there, including Al Jazeera reporters.” The U.S. government doesn’t always agree with the channel’s reporting, “but it’s a media organization that we work with,” he said.
With information from Clemens Verenkotte, ARD Studio Tel Aviv
Clemens Verenkotte, ARD Tel Aviv, tagesschau, April 1, 2024 8:57 p.m