Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, April 1, revived a push to shut down Qatari satellite television station Al Jazeera in Israel. Through his party spokesperson, he said parliament would be convened to ratify the necessary law.
Netanyahu, who has accused the station of agitating against it among Arab viewers, promised to “take immediate action to shut down Al Jazeera under procedures set out in the law,” according to a statement from his Likud party.
Under the law, passed in a first reading in February, the prime minister and all the communication ministers would possess the authority to shutter any foreign networks operating in Israel and confiscate their equipment if it was deemed a security risk.
The decision to revive the push comes following the huge protests against “Netanyahu’s handling of war with Hamas in Gaza” by Israelis in Jerusalem.
Reportedly, neither Al Jazeera’s main office in Israel nor the Qatari government in Doha have responded to Israel’s request for comment. The station had previously accused Israel of systematically targeting its offices and personnel.
For a very long time, Israeli officials have been complaining about Al Jazeera’s coverage of the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Since the war broke out on October 7 between Israel and Hamas with a cross-border killing and kidnapping rampage by Hamas groups, Israel has killed over 33,000 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, as per the Health Ministry of Gaza.
