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Israel on Sunday shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in the country, raided its offices and confiscated its broadcast equipment in what is thought to be the first time the Jewish state has forcibly shuttered a major foreign news channel.
The move is the culmination of a long-running feud between the Qatar-based news network and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have accused Al Jazeera of an extreme anti-Israel bias and suggested that the network participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
The network has vehemently denied those charges. Still, Mr. Netanyahu said his government had little choice but to shutter the channel’s operations inside Israel.
“Al Jazeera reporters harmed Israel’s security and incited against soldiers,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement. “It’s time to remove the Hamas mouthpiece from our country.”
His spokesperson to the Arab world, Ofir Gendelman, elaborated on the decision and what it would mean for Al Jazeera, which is funded by the Qatari government. Under the Israeli order, the channel will be closed for 45 days. It’s unclear what will happen after that.
“The government unanimously approved the closure of Al Jazeera‘s offices in Israel. This decision will be implemented immediately, according to which broadcast equipment will be confiscated, the channel’s correspondents will be prevented from working, the channel will be removed from cable and satellite television companies, and Al Jazeera‘s websites will be blocked on the internet,” Mr. Gendelman said in a social media post.
Hours later, Israeli officials raided the Al Jazeera offices in Jerusalem and confiscated the channel’s equipment. Israel’s largest cable providers reportedly blocked the network on Sunday afternoon, though Al Jazeera’s website was still accessible in some parts of the country.
In a statement, the channel blasted Israel’s extraordinary move.
“Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right to access of information. Al Jazeera affirms its right to continue to provide news and information to its global audiences,” the network said. “Israel’s ongoing suppression of the free press, seen as an effort to conceal its actions in the Gaza Strip, stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law.”
Israel’s historic actions were not entirely unexpected.
The Israeli Knesset enacted a law on April 1 giving the government the power to shut down foreign news networks deemed security risks. The legislation passed by a vote of 71-10. At the time, Al Jazeera blasted the measure.
“Netanyahu could not find any justifications to offer the world for his ongoing attacks on Al Jazeera and press freedom except to present new lies and inflammatory slanders against the network and the rights of its employees,” the network said in a statement.
“Al Jazeera reiterates that such slanderous accusations will not deter us from continuing our bold and professional coverage, and reserves the right to pursue every legal step,” it said.
The White House also expressed concerns about the April 1 law.
“We believe in freedom of the press. It is critically important and the United States supports the critically important work journalists around the world do,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at the time. “That includes those who are reporting on the conflict in Gaza. We believe that the work is important [and] that freedom of the press is important.”
Israel has long accused Al Jazeera of having deep-seated bias. Relations took a major downturn nearly two years ago when Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was killed during an Israeli military raid in the West Bank.
The relationship soured further after Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched a brutal attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 250 hostages.
In the weeks afterward, Israel launched a major military operation in Gaza designed to crush Hamas. Al Jazeera employees have been caught in the crossfire at times. In December, an Israeli strike killed an Al Jazeera video journalist reporting on the war in southern Gaza. The channel’s bureau chief in Gaza, Wael Dahdouh, was injured in the same attack, according to The Associated Press.
The network has been one of the few major media outlets to provide regular coverage from inside Gaza, now one of the most dangerous war zones in the world.
Critics say its coverage gives a platform to Hamas terrorists. The channel’s Arabic arm often publishes verbatim video statements from Hamas and other militant groups in the region.
Israel’s move Sunday could further strain its relations with Qatar at a crucial moment in negotiations with Hamas over a proposed deal to release some of the hostages still held.
Qatar has been a key intermediary between Israel and Hamas for months and played a leading role in previous deals that led to the release of some hostages in exchange for brief cease-fires in Gaza. The latest round of cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas ended Sunday without a deal.
Other governments in the Middle East also have closed or blocked Al Jazeera. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain boycotted Doha for years over a political dispute that ended in 2021, AP said.
On its website, the network says: “Al Jazeera Media Network is ideally placed on the world stage with its headquarters in the Arab world, with over 70 bureaus around the globe, and more than 3,000 employees from more than 95 countries. Al Jazeera has extensive reach across the globe and is available in over 150 countries and territories in more than 430 million homes. Al Jazeera is an independent news organization funded in part by the Qatari government.”
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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