Netanyahu introduced the choice on X, previously Twitter, however particulars on the implications of the step on the channel, when it could go into impact or whether or not it was everlasting or short-term shuttered weren’t instantly clear.
The choice escalated Israel’s long-running feud in opposition to Al Jazeera. It additionally threatened to intensify tensions with Qatar, which owns the channel, at a time when the Doha authorities is taking part in a key function in mediation efforts to halt the battle in Gaza.
Israel has lengthy had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias in opposition to it.
Al Jazeera is likely one of the few worldwide media retailers to stay in Gaza all through the battle, broadcasting bloody scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and accusing Israel of massacres. Israel accuses Al Jazeera of collaborating with Hamas.
Al Jazeera, the Doha-based broadcaster funded by Qatar’s authorities, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. Al Jazeera’s Arabic-language broadcaster acknowledged the information in its broadcast Sunday. Its English arm continued to function with reside photographs from East Jerusalem simply minutes after the announcement by Netanyahu. Whereas Al Jazeera’s English operation typically resembles the programming discovered on different main broadcast networks, its Arabic arm typically publishes verbatim video statements from Hamas and different militant teams within the area. It equally got here below harsh U.S. criticism throughout America’s occupation of Iraq after its 2003 invasion toppled director Saddam Hussein. It stays unclear how such an order could be enforced by Israel.
