Netanyahu cabinet votes to close Al Jazeera offices in Israel amidst Gaza war, orders to seize broadcast gear
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced that his government had unanimously voted to close the offices of the Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera in the country.
FollowIn a significant development amid the ongoing Gaza war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced that his government had unanimously voted to close the offices of the Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera in the country. Netanyahu revealed the decision via X, formerly known as Twitter, but specifics regarding its impact on the channel, the timeline for implementation, or whether the closure would be permanent or temporary remained unclear.
The vote comes amid deeply strained ties between Israel and the channel, which have worsened during the war against Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. It also comes as Qatar is helping to broker a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the war in Gaza.
According to the order issued by Communication Minister Shlomo Karhi, Israel will seize devices "used to deliver the channel's content", including editing and routing equipment, cameras, microphones, servers and laptops, as well as wireless transmission equipment and some cell phones.
“Our orders will go into effect immediately. Too much time has passed and there have been too many unnecessary legal hurdles in order to finally stop the well-oiled incitement machine of Al Jazeera, which harms the security of the state,” says Karhi after signing the orders.
“For months I have done everything so that they will not be able to work from Israel any more.”
Due to allegations of bias, Israel and Al Jazeera have had a tense relationship for a long time. As one of the few foreign media organizations to stay in Gaza throughout the conflict, Al Jazeera broadcasted graphic images of airstrikes and packed hospitals while accusing Israel of carrying out atrocities. Al Jazeera is accused by Israel of working with Hamas.
Al Jazeera, the broadcaster headquartered in Doha and funded by the Qatari government, did not promptly respond to a request for comment. However, Al Jazeera's Arabic-language channel acknowledged the news during its broadcast on Sunday. Despite Netanyahu's announcement, Al Jazeera's English division maintained its operations, airing live shots from East Jerusalem mere minutes after the statement.
