Israel is blocking the operations of Al Jazeera, the Qatari-owned news network, following the parliament’s approval on Monday of a new law empowering the government to shut down international news outlets on the pretext of security concerns.
The critical move arrives as Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza since October 7, 2023 kills more than 30,000 Palestinians, with casualties including an alarming number of journalists and aid workers. On Monday, Netanyahu called Al Jazeera a “terrorist channel”, accusing the network of threatening national security. The premier said the authorities would “act immediately” to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations.
Al Jazeera, which has been at the forefront of covering Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, termed Netanyahu’s accusations “slanderous”. The network said the move will threaten the “rights and safety of its workers worldwide”. Netanyahu has long been accusing Al Jazeera of associations with Hamas. The network denounces Netanyahu’s allegations as a “frantic campaign” based on “ludicrous” lies.
“Netanyahu could not find any justifications to offer the world for his ongoing attacks on Al Jazeera and press freedom except to present new lies and inflammatory slanders against the Network and the rights of its employees,” Al Jazeera said. “Al Jazeera reiterates that such slanderous accusations will not deter us from continuing our bold and professional coverage, and reserves the right to pursue every legal step.”
The ban is being roundly denounced by rights groups, journalists, and activists. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Israeli government to reverse the ban and “allow the media to report freely on news events in Israel and Gaza”.
“It’s another example of the tightening of the free press and the stranglehold the Israeli government would like to exercise,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg, as quoted by Al Jazeera. Ginsberg called the approval of the media law in Israel “an incredibly worrying move”.
At least 95 journalists, including 90 Palestinian, and other media workers have been killed in Israel’s violent assault on Gaza, according to a report by the CPJ. Twenty five journalists have been reported arrested and four missing. It is important to note that Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza.
“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” said the CPJ. “Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats.”
“This censorship of one of the last international media outlets able to provide reporting from Gaza since 7 October is unacceptable,” said Reporters Without Borders (RSF), according to which the number of journalists killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza stands at 103.
“We support the independent free press anywhere in the world,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in response to the development. “And much of what we know about what has happened in Gaza is because of reporters who are there doing their jobs, including reporters from Al Jazeera.”
