On Sunday, the Israeli government ordered the end of Al Jazeera’s operation in the country and later raided the office of this Arab state media located in a hotel in Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on social media: “The government has unanimously decided to close the provocative channel Al Jazeera in Israel.”
A spokesperson for Arab countries under Netanyahu’s authority stated that the decision would be implemented immediately.
This special order includes confiscating broadcast equipment, preventing the airing of reports from the channel, and blocking its website. It is believed that this is the first time Israel has closed a foreign news agency operating in the country.
According to the Associated Press, within hours of the order being issued, Israel’s major cable television and satellite service providers successively shut down Al Jazeera’s channels. However, the foreign news agency’s website and several online streaming links were still operational in Israel on Sunday.
Following the announcement of closing Al Jazeera, Israeli authorities also raided the media’s office located in a hotel in East Jerusalem.
Video obtained by Reuters showed plainclothes police removing camera equipment from the hotel.
Since Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year, Al Jazeera has been reporting 24/7 on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, often broadcasting video statements from Hamas and other Islamic militant groups. The media’s staff have also faced casualties in the Gaza conflict.
In a statement, Netanyahu said: “Al Jazeera reporters have endangered Israel’s security and incited citizens against soldiers. It is time to remove this Hamas mouthpiece from our country.”
Al Jazeera called the move a “criminal act” and issued a statement saying: “Israel continues to suppress freedom of the press, which is seen as an effort to cover up its actions in the Gaza Strip, violating international law and humanitarian law.”
The media also stated that they would “pursue all available legal avenues through international legal institutions to protect their rights, journalists, and the public’s right to information.”
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also criticized Israel’s closure of Al Jazeera.