Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed to ban Al Jazeera broadcasts inside Israel.
“The terrorist channel Al Jazeera will no longer broadcast from Israel. I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel's activities,” Netanyahu said in a post on the social media platform X.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli parliament passed a law allowing the government to close down foreign news outlets viewed as threatening state security.
The measure, which passed 70-10, gives top ministers and the communications minister the power to close foreign media outlets in Israel if they are believed to pose a threat to Israel’s security. Under the law, the Israeli government can also ban targeted outlets from broadcasting inside Israel.
Netanyahu announced earlier in the day that he would be reviving efforts to shut down the news channel in Israel.
Doha-based Al Jazeera condemned Netanyahu’s announcement in a statement.
“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 Qatari outlet said.
Mohamed Moawad, managing editor at Al Jazeera, said Netanyahu’s statements and a potential ban of the outlet in Israel would represent a broader assault on press freedom.
“We are not in the business of pleasing anyone, and that’s journalism. We speak truth to power,” Moawad told VOA from Doha.
Moawad, who previously worked at VOA’s sister outlet Alhurra TV, added that he worries Netanyahu’s comments could be used to justify violence against Al Jazeera reporters. “This is alarming and dangerous,” he said.
A potential ban also troubled the United States.
“If it is true, a move like this is concerning,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“We believe in the freedom of the press. It is critical,” she added.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has previously referred to Al Jazeera as “a propaganda mouthpiece” for the militant group Hamas and accused the Qatari outlet of exposing Israeli soldiers to potential attacks from Gaza.
Press freedom groups have previously condemned efforts by the Israeli government to shutter Al Jazeera in Israel and renewed calls Monday urging Israel to refrain from shutting down the outlet.
“CPJ is deeply concerned by new legislation authorizing the Netanyahu government to shutter Al Jazeera in Israel,” Carlos Martinez de la Serna, program director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement Monday.
“The law grants the government the power to close any foreign media outlets operating in Israel, posing a significant threat to international media within the country. This contributes to a climate of self-censorship and hostility toward the press, a trend that has escalated since the Israel-Gaza war began,” he added.
The potential shutdown of Al Jazeera takes place in the context of an ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Since Hamas attacked southern Israel last October, at least 95 journalists have been killed, according to CPJ data.
Some information in this report came from Reuters, Agence France-Presse and The Associated Press.
