Israel wants to close the Arabic TV channel Al-Jazeera in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that his government had made this unanimous decision. Netanyahu spoke about “the incendiary channel Al-Jazeera.”
Netanyahu had already announced more than a month ago the rapid closure of the TV network in Israel, which is based in the Gulf emirate of Qatar. 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.
Order is executed immediately
Against the backdrop of the Gaza war, Netanyahu had accused the broadcaster of “damaging Israel’s security, actively participating in the October 7 massacre and inciting hatred against Israeli soldiers.”
Netanyahu announced the decision on X:
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said he had signed the closure order and that it would be implemented immediately. According to media reports, this could mean closing offices in Israel, confiscating its broadcasting equipment, removing the channel from cable and satellite TV providers’ programming, and blocking its website.
Always critical of Al-Jazeera
Israel accuses the broadcaster of biased reporting. Al-Jazeera has reported extensively on the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Gaza war, showing images of death and destruction rarely seen on Israeli TV channels. The channel also regularly shows videos from Hamas’s 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 on 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 main financial supporters. Top Hamas representatives also live in Doha.
Source: Krone
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