Prime Minister Netanyahu calls media channel terrorist, Al Jazeera is a media group of the country of Qatar, which is headquartered at the Qatar Radio and Television Corporation Complex in Doha. The group broadcasts news in Arabic and English through its many channels.
Al Jazeera receives heavy funding from the government of Qatar, but Al Jazeera rejects this allegation and says that there is no pressure on it from the Qatar government. Al Jazeera often remains in controversies regarding its reporting. It is believed that this is a radical Islamic channel. Recently, Al Jazeera also ran controversial news against India after the implementation of CAA.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to close down Al Jazeera news channel. According to news agency ANI, the decision to shut down Al Jazeera network has been taken after a law was passed on Monday.
According to CNN report, this law gives the government the right to ban foreign news channels considered a threat to national security.
The Israeli parliament approved a law granting the government authority to ban foreign news networks, including Al Jazeera. PM Netanyahu pledged to “act immediately” to close the network’s local office ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/L2RXOzVi5t
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 2, 2024
After the law was passed, in a post on social media platform X, Netanyahu expressed his intention to take immediate action in accordance with the new law to stop the activity of Qatar-based news channels in the country.
However, Al Jazeera condemned Netanyahu’s statement and said it would continue its bold coverage. The new law gives the Prime Minister and the Communications Minister the right to order the temporary shutdown of foreign networks operating in Israel.
According to CNN, Netanyahu’s government has consistently complained about Al Jazeera’s campaigns, accusing it of anti-Israel bias. Prime Minister Netanyahu in his statement accused Al Jazeera of working for Hamas.
The White House also described reports of the move to shut down Al Jazeera as worrying. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press conference on Monday that the United States supports the work of journalists around the world, including those reporting on the war in Gaza.