The Israeli government announced this Sunday the closure of the local offices of the Qatari-owned television station Al Jazeera. The announcement escalated long-running disputes between Israel and the channel at a time when ceasefire negotiations with the terrorist group Hamas, brokered by Qatar, were gaining momentum.
The first Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the decision on X, formerly Twitter, although initially the details were not clear about the consequences of the decision on the channel, when it would come into effect or whether the closure would be permanent or temporary.
“My government decided unanimously: the incitement channel Al Jazeera will close in Israel”the president wrote in X. Al Jazeera has flatly rejected inciting violence against Israel.
The outlet’s headquarters in Doha, Qatar, had no immediate comment. A correspondent on Al Jazeera’s Arabic service said the order would affect the broadcaster’s operations in Israel and East Jerusalem, from where it has broadcast live images for months since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 that triggered the war in Gaza.
“It would not affect the media’s operations in the Palestinian territories”added the correspondent.
Another correspondent on the network’s English channel said that The order prevented the television station from “having offices or using them” in Israel. He added that the outlet’s websites would be blocked, although they were still accessible in Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon.
Israeli media, for its part, said the cabinet vote allows Israel to block the channel’s operations in the country for 45 days, according to the government decision. Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi commented in a video posted on X that “the equipment” of the channel will be confiscated.
The decision aggravated the long dispute between Israel and Al Jazeera. It also threatened to increase tensions with Qatar, which owns the chain, at a time when the government in Doha plays a key role in mediation efforts to stop the war in Gaza.
Israel has long had a difficult relationship with the news outlet, which accused of offering biased coverage against him.
Al Jazeera It is one of the few international media that has continued in Gaza during the war, broadcasting bloody images of bombings and overwhelmed hospitals, and has accused Israel of committing massacres in the territory. Israel, meanwhile, accuses the network of collaborating with Hamas terrorists.
Al Jazeerafounded by the Qatari government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Although the English channel often has programming similar to that of other major television stations, its Arabic channel often broadcasts video statements from Hamas and other armed groups in the region. It was also heavily criticized by the United States during the US occupation of Iraq following its 2003 invasion, which overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein.
It was unclear how Israel would implement its decision.
(With information from AP)
