Can't control the news, ban it instead
Israeli government votes to shut down Al Jazeera: Reports
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that the Israeli government has voted unanimously to shut down Al Jazeera in the country.
The Reuters news agency reports that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted unanimously to close Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, according to a government statement that did not stipulate when the decision might take effect.
The cabinet vote came after Israel’s parliament passed a law allowing the temporary closure in Israel of foreign broadcasters considered to be a threat to national security during its war on Gaza.
‘Incitement channel’ Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel: Netanyahu
The Israeli prime minister has announced his government’s decision to shut down Al Jazeera TV. “The government headed by me unanimously decided: The incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel,” Netanyahu posted on X.
Orders against Al Jazeera ‘will go into effect immediately’: Israeli communications minister
In a post on X, Israel’s minister of communications, Shlomo Karhi, said he has signed the orders against Al Jazeera, which will go into effect immediately. Israel’s Army Radio reports that Karhi’s orders are valid for 45 days, and they must be brought before a district judge.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, speaks to Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament
Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting that the government has authorised Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi to order the cessation of the channel’s broadcasts in Israel, both in Arabic and English language; to close its offices in Israel; to confiscate equipment used by its personnel with the exception of telephones and computers. The communications minister has also been asked to limit access from Israel to the network’s website.
According to the Israeli government decision, Karhi has the authority to ban the channel from operating for 45 days, relying on the recently adopted law regulating the closure of media institutions.
Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan on the ban
The Knesset passed a law on April 1 that allowed the prime minister to ban Al Jazeera. He has now enacted that law.
Let me take you through some of the definitions within the law.
They have banned our website, including anything that has the option of entering or accessing the website, even passwords that are needed, whether they are paid or not, whether they are stored on Israeli servers or outside. The website is now inaccessible.
They are also banning any device that is used for providing content that includes my mobile phone. If I use that for any kind of news gathering then Israelis can simply confiscate it.
Our internet access provider, which simply hosts aljazeera.net is also in danger of being fined if it hosts the website.
The Al Jazeera TV channel is completely banned, and transmission by any kind of content provider is also banned. And holding offices or operating them in the territory of Israel by the channel.
It’s a wide-ranging ban and we do not know how long it will be in place for.