During a recent incident, Israeli law enforcement officers conducted a search at the premises of Al Jazeera, a broadcaster located in Nazareth. They seized equipment belonging to the Arab-language TV channel during this operation.
The search operation took place shortly after the Israeli government put a ban on Al Jazeera. This ban included restricting access to Al Jazeera’s content within Israel and prohibiting the broadcaster from carrying out its usual operations.
Earlier in the week, Israel’s communications minister issued an official closure order for the broadcaster. On the same day, a search was also carried out at Al Jazeera’s office situated in the Ambassador Hotel in East Jerusalem.
Israeli officials have accused the channel of displaying biased reporting particularly in relation to the events during the Gaza war.
Approximately a month ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already made clear his plans to shut down the facilities of this TV network in Israel.
Prior to these events, Israel’s parliament had passed a legislation commonly referred to as the Al Jazeera law. This law empowers the government to take action against and prohibit foreign broadcasters if they are deemed to pose a threat to national security.
Al Jazeera has strongly refuted the allegations made by Israeli authorities. The broadcaster has condemned the ban as a violation of human rights and the basic right to access information, as reported by NAN.