Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that his government is planning to shut down the Qatar-based news outlet, Al Jazeera.
Netanyahu revealed the decision following a meeting with his security cabinet, labeling Al-Jazeera as a propaganda tool for the Hamas militant group.
Sharing his stance on X, the Prime Minister emphasized: “Following deliberations by the Security Cabinet and upon my instruction, the Government has considered the halt of Al Jazeera’s broadcasts in Israel.
“The actions of Al Jazeera reporters have posed a threat to Israel’s security and incited violence against IDF personnel. It is time to remove Hamas’ mouthpiece from our nation.”
Additionally, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi declared that Al Jazeera will not be granted freedom of speech in the country.
Karchi asserted: “There will be no platform for Hamas propaganda within Israel.
“Al Jazeera’s operations will be terminated promptly, with all equipment liable to confiscation.”
Karhi issued a directive for the confiscation of devices “utilized for broadcasting the channel’s content”, encompassing editing and transmission apparatus, recording devices, servers, laptops, wireless communication devices, and specific cell phones.
This resolution follows the recent passage of a new national security legislation by Israel’s parliament, empowering top officials to prohibit broadcasts from foreign networks deemed as a national security hazard and to close their local offices.
In the aftermath of this law enactment, Netanyahu singled out Al Jazeera, positioning itself as the “premier independent news channel in the Arab region”.