Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government seized Al-Jazeera’s Jerusalem offices and shut down the news station, prompting critics to condemn the move as a violation of press freedom.
Netanyahu announced on social media that the government, under my leadership, has unanimously decided to close the incitement channel Al Jazeera in Israel. Netanyahu congratulated Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi for his efforts to shut down the network.
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Karhi posted a video on social media showing Communications Ministry inspectors, accompanied by Israeli police, invading the offices and taking the broadcaster’s equipment.
Netanyahu’s dictatorship has criticized Al-Jazeera’s coverage of his assault in Gaza, calling the network a “mouthpiece” for Hamas, a Palestinian movement that Israel and its allies see as a terrorist organization.
The decision to raid Qatar-based Al-Jazeera came after the Knesset enacted a resolution in April authorizing the government to temporarily shut down any foreign media sites. The action might strain relations with Qatar, which has served as a mediator throughout Israel’s conflict.
In a news item on its own closure, Al-Jazeera stated that it “repeatedly rejected” accusations made by Netanyahu’s government.
The administration under US President Joe Biden has yet to comment on Israel’s move. However, in 2022, the US National Security Council issued a statement denouncing Russia for similar actions during the war in Ukraine.
According to Emily Horne, a spokesman for the interagency advisory group, Russia’s censorship agency “shuttered independent Russian media outlets, blocked social media, and restricted access in Russia to international news outlets.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a press freedom advocacy group, stated late Saturday that Israel was one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists in 2023, while Palestinian Gaza was one of the deadliest countries for journalists.
The incident happened shortly after the United Nations observed World Press Freedom Day on Friday to highlight the significance of press freedom.
