Israel’s decision to close Al Jazeera TV

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to close the Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera. Writing on the social network X, he announced that Al Jazeera was going to be closed in Israel by unanimous decision.

In a separate joint statement with Netanyahu, Communications Minister Shlomo Karahi said Hamas supporters in Israel would have no freedom of speech. “Al Jazeera will be shut down immediately and equipment confiscated.”

The decision came Sunday after Israel’s parliament passed a new national security law by an overwhelming majority last month. The law empowers top ministers to ban the broadcasting of foreign channels deemed to be a threat to national security and to close their offices.

Meanwhile, Qatar-based network Al Jazeera on Sunday condemned as “criminal” the Israeli government’s move to ban the broadcaster from operating its coverage of the Gaza war.

We condemn this criminal act of Israel, which violates the human right to access to information,” Al Jazeera said in Arabic on the X social network.

Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, Al Jazeera has broadcast continuous on-the-ground reporting on the effects of the Israeli campaign. Two of Al Jazeera’s correspondents were killed when their offices were bombed during the war in Gaza.