Al Jazeera said the move was a “criminal action” (file photo)
Jerusalem:
Israeli authorities raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as an office after the government decided to shut down local operations of the Qatari-owned TV station on Sunday, an Israeli official and an Al Jazeera source told Reuters.
Video circulating online showed plainclothes officers dismantling camera equipment in a hotel room, which Al Jazeera’s source said was in East Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office closed the network while the war in Gaza continues, saying it threatened national security.
Al Jazeera said the move was a “criminal action” and that the accusation that the network threatened Israeli security was a “dangerous and ridiculous lie” that put its journalists at risk.
It reserved the right to “follow all legal measures”.
The network criticized Israel’s military operation in Gaza, from where it reported during the war.
“The incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel,” Netanyahu posted on social media after a unanimous cabinet vote.
A government statement said Israel’s Communications Minister had signed orders to “act immediately,” but at least one lawmaker who supported the closure said Al Jazeera could still try to block it in court.
The measure, according to the statement, includes the closure of Al Jazeera offices in Israel, the confiscation of broadcasting equipment, the disconnection of cable and satellite companies and the blocking of their websites. It did not mention Al Jazeera’s operations in Gaza.
Israeli satellite and cable television providers suspended Al Jazeera broadcasts following the government’s decision.
There was no official comment from the Qatari government, which deferred to Al Jazeera.
The network complained last month of “a series of systematic Israeli attacks to silence Al Jazeera.”
It stated that Israel deliberately targeted and killed several of its journalists, including Samer Abu Daqqa and Hamza AlDahdooh, both of whom were killed in Gaza during the conflict. Israel has said it does not target journalists.
Qatar created Al Jazeera in 1996 and sees it as a way to boost its global profile.
“Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right to access to information,” the network said in a statement. “Al Jazeera asserts its right to continue providing news and information to its global audience.”
The UN Human Rights Office also criticized the closure.
“We regret the cabinet’s decision to close Al Jazeera in Israel,” he said on X. “Free and independent media is essential to ensure transparency and accountability. a fundamental human right. We urge the government to lift the ban.”
Israel’s parliament last month ratified a law that allows for the temporary closure in Israel of foreign broadcasters considered a threat to national security.
The law allows Netanyahu and his security cabinet to close the network’s offices in Israel for 45 days, a period that can be renewed, so that it can remain in force until the end of July or until the end of major military operations in Gaza.
Qatar, where several Hamas political leaders are based, is trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release agreement that could end the war in Gaza.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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