As parliament approved a bill paving the way for the shutdown, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Monday, April 1, to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in his nation, branding it a “terror channel.”
By keeping his promise, Netanyahu intensified Israel’s long-running conflict with Al Jazeera. Additionally, it raised the possibility of escalating hostilities with the channel’s owner, Qatar, at a moment when the Doha administration is actively mediating a cease-fire in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s incitement accusation was denounced by the network as a “dangerous, absurd falsehood.” Late on Monday, Al Jazeera declared that it would keep up its “bold and professional coverage,” that it held Netanyahu accountable for the security of its employees and headquarters, and that it “reserves the right to pursue every legal step.”
Israel has long accused Al Jazeera of bias against Israel, with relations deteriorating following the death of correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh in an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank and the attack on mourners at her burial. The Palestinian-American journalist was known across the Arab world for her coverage of Israel, and the channel accused Israel of intentionally killing her. Israel denied the charge, saying she was likely killed by Israeli fire in an accidental shooting.
The outbreak of Israel’s war against Hamas on October 7, when the militant group carried out a cross-border attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage, further deteriorated relations. In December, an Israeli strike killed an Al Jazeera cameraman as he reported on the war in southern Gaza. The channel also blamed Israel for killing Dahdouh’s son in a strike in January. The army later said that Hamza Dahdouh was a member of Islamic Jihad, a militant group that joined the Oct. 7 attack with Hamas.
Al Jazeera is one of the few international media outlets to remain in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting bloody scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and accusing Israel of massacres. Israel accuses Al Jazeera of collaborating with Hamas. The State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, said the U.S. respects Al Jazeera’s work but does not always agree with its coverage.
Israel has in the past threatened to shutter Al Jazeera but has never done so. Monday’s law did not immediately close the station but authorizes officials to do so after consultations and approval from legal and security officials. Any order would be valid only through July 31, or the end of the war in Gaza. Israel’s communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, said he intended to move forward with the closure.
Punishing the channel could be risky. Qatar has been acting as a chief mediator between Israel and Hamas, helping broker and sponsor a weeklong cease-fire in November and hosting weeks of on-and-off talks aimed at brokering another pause in fighting. By targeting Al Jazeera, Israel could be trying to push Qatar to put additional pressure on Hamas to make concessions.
(AP)
