(Editor’s note: Image depicts death.) Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief Wal Dadouh (centre) comforts relatives at the funeral of his son, Al Jazeera journalist Hamza Dadouh, Hamza Dadou He was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza. Photographer: Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Ahmed Salem | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the Israeli government had voted unanimously to close the local offices of Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Netanyahu announced the decision on X, formerly Twitter, but details were unclear about the step’s impact on the channel, when it would take effect and whether the measure would be permanent or temporary.
There was no immediate comment from the channel’s headquarters in Doha, Qatar. A reporter for Al Jazeera Arabic said the order would affect the broadcaster’s operations in Israel and east Jerusalem, where it has been filming live for months since the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war in Gaza. .
The journalist said this would not affect Al Jazeera’s operations in the Palestinian territories.
Israeli media said that according to the decision, the vote allowed Israel to ban the channel from operating in the country for 45 days.
“Our government has unanimously decided that Al Jazeera’s incitement channel in Israel will be shut down,” Netanyahu said in a message on Al Jazeera, strongly denying that the channel incited against Israel.
The decision deepens Israel’s long-running feud with Al Jazeera. It could also heighten tensions with Qatar, which owns the strait, as the government in Doha plays a key role in mediation efforts to stop the war in Gaza.
Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias.
Al Jazeera was one of the few international outlets to remain in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting bloody scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and accusing Israel of the massacre. Israel accuses Al Jazeera of collaborating with Hamas.
Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, which is funded by the Qatari government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While Al Jazeera’s English-language programming is generally similar to those on other major broadcast networks, its Arabic-language unit often publishes verbatim video statements from Hamas and other militant groups in the region. It was similarly harshly criticized by the United States during its occupation of Iraq after the 2003 invasion that toppled director Saddam Hussein.
It is unclear how Israel will enforce the order.
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