The Israeli government voted unanimously on Sunday to shut down the operations of Al Jazeera, a Qatar-based news network, in the country.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “Al Jazeera reporters harmed Israel’s security and incited against IDF soldiers. It’s time to remove the Hamas mouthpiece from our country.”
PM Netanyahu on the government's decision to close down Al-Jazeera's offices in Israel, as this channel harms Israel's security and serves the Hamas terror organization:
— Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) May 5, 2024
"The time has come to eject Hamas's mouthpiece from our country". pic.twitter/0yO0N725XT
Al Jazeera has reported on the Israel-Hamas war nonstop since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel and has been critical of Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Al Jazeera called the Israeli Cabinet’s decision a “criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right to access of information.”
“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,” the network said. “Israel’s direct targeting and killing of journalists, arrests, intimidation and threats will not deter Al Jazeera.”
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The network also said it “vehemently rejects the allegations presented by Israeli authorities suggesting professional media standards have been violated.”
The Foreign Press Association, a non-governmental organization representing international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said in a statement that Israel has joined “a dubious club of authoritarian governments”
The FPA concluded its statement by saying: “This is a dark day for the media. This is a dark day for democracy.”
