Israeli authorities closed Al Jazeera’s local offices on Sunday, hours after the government voted to use new laws to shut down the satellite news network’s operations in the country.
Critics said the move, which comes as indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas continue, was a “dark day for the media” and triggered a tough call for Benjamin Netanyahu New concerns about government attitudes toward free speech.
Israeli officials said the move was justified because Al Jazeera posed a threat to national security. “Israel’s al-Jazeera incitement channel will be shut down,” the country’s prime minister said in a post on social media after the cabinet voted unanimously.
Israel’s communications minister has signed an order to take immediate action to close Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel, confiscate broadcast equipment, cut off the channel from cable and satellite companies and block its website, a government statement said.
The network, funded by Qatar, has been critical of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and provided round-the-clock briefings during the seven-month war.
Al Jazeera said the accusations of threatening Israel’s security were “dangerous and ridiculous lies” that put its journalists at risk.
“Al Jazeera media network strongly condemns and condemns this criminal violation of human rights and the fundamental right to access information,” the company said in a statement. “Al Jazeera confirms its right to continue providing news and information to a global audience.”
After the ban came into effect, a pre-recorded “final report” outlining the restrictions imposed on the network by a Jerusalem journalist was broadcast online.
Al Jazeera has previously accused Israeli authorities of deliberately targeting several journalists, including Samir Abu Dhaka and Hamza Dadouh, both of whom were killed in the conflict in Gaza. Israel denies the accusation and says it does not target journalists.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also criticized the move. “We regret the Cabinet’s decision to shut down Israel’s Al Jazeera TV channel” It says on X. “A free and independent press is critical to ensuring transparency and accountability. This is even more true now given the severe restrictions on reporting in Gaza. Freedom of expression is an important human right. We urge the government to overturn the ban.
Israel’s Knesset last month approved a law allowing the temporary closure of foreign broadcasters deemed to pose a threat to national security.
The law allows Netanyahu and his security cabinet to close Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel for 45 days, a period that can be extended so it remains in effect until the end of July or the end of major military operations in Gaza.
While reporting on the casualties of the war, Al Jazeera’s Arabic-language service regularly releases verbatim video statements from Hamas and other armed groups in the region, drawing sharp criticism from Israeli officials.
Last year’s judicial reform movement led by Netanyahu’s coalition government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, sparked a backlash and accusations of authoritarianism. Israel’s recent crackdown on protesters opposed to the Gaza war has also raised new concerns about free speech.
this foreign correspondents associationAn NGO representing journalists from international news agencies reporting in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza has accused Israel of joining the “club of dubious authoritarian governments”.
“This is a dark day for the media. It is a dark day for democracy,” it said in a statement.
There are also some politicians in Israel who oppose the move, or at least its timing. The centrist National Unity Party, a member of the ruling coalition, said ceasefire talks appeared to be on the verge of failure and could “undermine” efforts to free Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Qatar founded Al Jazeera in 1996 to build influence in the Middle East and further afield.
The small Gulf state, home to several Hamas political leaders and a key mediator in the negotiations, has been sidelined in recent weeks, potentially encouraging the Israeli government to take action.
Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza to cover the conflict, which was triggered by Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7 last year that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The subsequent Israeli offensive has killed more than 34,000 people, mostly women and children.
