Israel’s Knesset approved a law on Monday that could lead to shutting down the local activities of Al Jazeera, a news network based in Qatar. The law allows the temporary suspension of foreign news operations considered a threat to national security.
“Al Jazeera will no longer be aired in Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on social media. social media after the law was passed, translated from Hebrew. “I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel’s activity.”
Netanyahu claimed that the network posed a threat to Israel’s security, was involved in the Oct. 7 massacre, and encouraged hostility towards IDF soldiers.
Netanyahu also accused the news organization of having an anti-Israel bias, which he believes is a danger to the country's security.
The Knesset passed the law, giving the prime minister and the communications minister the power to order the closure of foreign networks operating in Israel and confiscate their equipment if they are deemed a threat to the country’s security. 71-10Meanfwhile, the Biden administration expressed worries about the passing of the law on Monday.
“We’ve seen the reports and certainly I’m going to refer to Israel for what they may or may not be considering. But if it is true, a move like this is concerning. We believe in the freedom of the press. It is critical. It is critically important,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Communications Minister
Shlomo Karhi led the efforts to pass the law. Karhi claimed that the news network serves as a mouthpiece for Hamas. “Al Jazeera will no longer be broadcast from Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a social media post
