CNN
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Israel on Sunday shut down Al Jazeera's operations in the country and seized some of its communications equipment. This prompted condemnation from the United Nations and rights groups over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's moves to restrict press freedom.
The closure comes as ceasefire and hostage negotiations in Cairo show little sign of progress after nearly seven months of war, in southern Gaza, where 1.5 million people have fled amid a devastating humanitarian crisis. International concern is growing over Israel's expected military attack on Rafah.
The Qatar-based news network, which has tenaciously provided on-the-ground coverage of Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, called the office closures a “criminal act” and critics said the move was a “dark day for democracy”. He said there is. It sets a worrying precedent for other international media outlets operating in Israel.
“The government I lead has unanimously decided to shut down the incitement channel Al Jazeera in Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement published in X.
Israel's Communications Ministry announced on Sunday that it had closed the network's Jerusalem office and confiscated its communications equipment. “In addition, cable television and satellite broadcasting have been suspended and access to websites has been blocked,” the ministry said.
Netanyahu's government has long alleged anti-Israel bias in Al Jazeera's operations and accused the network of being a “mouthpiece for Hamas,” but the latest shutdown comes as the government bans foreign networks deemed a threat. This comes with the passage of comprehensive legislation that allows for to national security.
Israeli cable providers had stopped distributing the Al Jazeera network by late Sunday afternoon, a CNN journalist in the country confirmed. Israel's Al Jazeera cable channel is currently displaying a message saying, “In accordance with the government's decision, the Al Jazeera channel has been suspended from broadcasting in Israel.”
Ofir Gendelman, the prime minister's spokesman for the Arab world, quoted Netanyahu as saying: “Al Jazeera reporters violated Israel's security and incited hostility against IDF soldiers. It is time to expel Hamas's spokesperson from our country.”
Footage obtained by CNN showed Israeli police accompanied by Israeli Security Services personnel entering the Al Jazeera broadcasting camp in Jerusalem on Sunday.
Al Jazeera said the Israeli cabinet's decision violates the human right to access information.
Furthermore, “Israel suppressed press freedom to cover up its crimes by killing and arresting journalists, but this did not prevent us from fulfilling our obligations. Since the war in Gaza began, more than 140 of Palestinian journalists were martyred for the truth.”
Since October 7, several of the network's journalists working in Gaza have been injured or killed.
Al Jazeera once again denies Israel's “false allegations regarding our country's violation of the professional framework governing media activities” and calls on media and human rights organizations to “condemn Israeli authorities' repeated attacks on news organizations and journalists” I asked.
The move comes a month after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to shut down the country's television channels following the passage of a new law. Restrictions on Al Jazeera in Israel.
These restrictions included giving the government the power to take action against network-operated offices and confiscate equipment and press cards, as well as restricting public access to broadcasts and websites.
In early April, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the
In addition to Jerusalem, Al Jazeera has offices in the West Bank and Gaza.
Since the war began, we have provided critical on-the-ground reporting on Israeli military operations and their humanitarian impact on the hotly contested enclave.
A new law gives the prime minister and communications minister the power to order the temporary closure of foreign networks operating in Israel, a power that human rights groups say could have far-reaching implications for international media coverage of the Gaza war. are doing.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, condemned the closure of Al Jazeera on Sunday. “As we have said before, we firmly oppose any decision that rolls back press freedom. Press freedom is a vital part of ensuring the public is informed and engaged. We provide a valuable service,” Dujarric said.
Israel's Foreign Press Association (FPA) called the move a “dark day for democracy” and “a cause for concern for all supporters of press freedom,” while the Committee to Protect Journalists said: , said this “sets a very worrying precedent for Israel.” restricting international news organizations operating in Israel; ”
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch condemned the decision as an “attack on press freedom,” according to a written statement shared on Sunday by Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch's Israel and Palestine director (HRW). did.
“Instead of trying to silence reporting on atrocities in Gaza, the Israeli government should stop doing so,” Shakir said.
The move to shut down the network comes as press freedom groups grow increasingly concerned about incidents of casualties among journalists working in conflict zones and what they describe as obstruction of journalistic activities by Israeli authorities.
A preliminary investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists found that as of May 3, 2024, at least 97 journalists and media workers have been killed since the start of the war.
The Gaza war has seen “a record number of violations against journalists and media” since October, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF)'s annual Press Freedom Index released on Friday.
According to RSF, Palestine (the term the organization uses for the Palestinian territories) ranks 157th out of 180 countries and territories on the Press Freedom Index, making it the most dangerous region for journalists. Israel was ranked 101st, dropping four places from 2023.
Israel's move to shut down Al Jazeera came as negotiators met in Cairo on Saturday to secure a ceasefire and hostage arrangement.
Negotiators are making progress on the technical aspects of a potential deal, but two Israeli sources said it could take a week to finalize the deal itself. Qatar has played a key role in ceasefire negotiations in the ongoing war.
This is a developing story and will be updated.