Netanyahu government orders closure of Al-Jazeera in Israel | middle East

Six months after announcing this intention, the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu voted to close the pan-Arab television Al-Jazeera in Israel. The decision, taken this Sunday at the Council of Ministers meeting, means the closure of the news channel’s offices in the country, the seizure of equipment used for broadcasts, the restriction of access to its websites and the end of broadcasts in Arabic and English.

“The Government headed by me unanimously decided: the Al-Jazeera incitement channel will be closed in Israel,” said Netanyahu, in a post on the X network (formerly Twitter).

The executive approved emergency measures that allowed it to proceed with this measure right at the beginning of the war, in October, but ended up not doing so, apparently because it did not want to alienate Qatar, the country that finances the station and that has been a mediator between Israel and Hamas – and which was fundamental in obtaining an agreement for the first and only temporary truce that was in force in November and allowed the release of 80 Israelis who were held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Paradoxically, the decision comes at a time when mediators are more optimistic than ever about the possibility of a comprehensive ceasefire agreement, which would allow for the release of all hostages over three phases. On Saturday, Israel refused the request of the United States and other mediating countries to send a delegation to Cairo, where Hamas representatives are located.

Furthermore, Qatar said in April that it was re-evaluating its role as mediator, considering that “this mediation has been the target of petty political interests”.

Hours before the Government meeting, Israel’s main cities were the scene of “exceptionally large” protests (in the newspaper’s description Haaretz), with tens of thousands of people demanding an agreement to release the approximately 130 hostages still in Gaza (not all of them alive), a ceasefire and early elections.

“Politicians have to remember that we are fighting for real people,” Jon Polin, father of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, said at the Jerusalem rally. “Netanyahu is once again trying to destroy the only opportunity we have,” accused Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker.

According to Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, the orders to close Al-Jazeera “will come into force immediately”. But according to the newspaper The Times of Israelan order to close a foreign television station must be submitted to the president of a district court within 24 hours, giving him three days to decide whether the measure comes into force.

After the first emergency measures, which expired in January, the Knesset (Parliament) approved a new law in April that aimed to give the Government a more solid basis for taking action against Al-Jazeera. The decision now taken must be updated every 45 days.

“Political Considerations”

“Too much time has passed and too many unnecessary legal obstacles have arisen to finally stop Al-Jazeera’s well-oiled incitement machine, which undermines state security,” Minister Karhi said after signing the orders.

In fact, the current law, which expires on July 31st (and will have to be extended to keep the channel closed after that), also faces court challenges: the Association for Civil Rights in Israel appealed against the law in the Supreme Court of Justice, claiming that it violates freedom of expression, and the State has until May 15th to present an initial response to the judges.

According to the Israeli press, the Council of Ministers analyzed confidential opinions from the Shin Bet (internal secret services) that point to Al-Jazeera as a threat to national security, also based on opinions from the Mossad (espionage abroad) and the Security Forces. Defense of Israel (IDF) who defend the imposition of restrictions on the channel.

But according to a statement from the National Unity party (by Benny Gantz, who joined the emergency government after the Hamas attack on October 7), cited by the newspaper The Jerusalem Post, the decision contradicts the position of the head of Mossad and is nothing more than a “political spectacle”. The party supports the closure of Al-Jazeera and considers that “the presentation of the matter this morning [domingo] for voting at the government meeting is a correct decision, but with a timing terrible, which could sabotage efforts to bring negotiations to a conclusion, and arises from political considerations”.