The TV station in Israel went silent – Al Jazeera called the decision a criminal act
Israeli police raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its de facto office, following a government decision to suspend the Qatari-owned broadcaster's operations in the country, an Israeli official and an Al Jazeera source said. at Reuters.
Videos released online show plainclothes officers dismantling camera equipment in a hotel room. Al Jazeera's source said the hotel is in East Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet has shut down the network while the war in Gaza continues, arguing that Qatari television threatens national security.
Al Jazeera called the decision a criminal act and rejected the accusation that the network threatens national security, calling it a “dangerous and ridiculous lie” which puts its journalists at risk.
🚨#BREAKING: Israeli police officers have raided the offices of
Al Jazeera and is confiscating equipment, after Israel used a new law to ban Al Jazeera.pic.twitter.com/GESgNsBWWi
— R A W S G L 🌎 B A L (@RawsGlobal) May 5, 2024
It said it reserved the right to “pursue any legal steps”.
There was no official comment from the Qatari government, which referred to Al Jazeera.
To Al Jazeera has previously called Israel's efforts to limit its operation an “escalation” and said in a statement in early April that it “comes in a series of systematic Israeli attacks to silence Al Jazeera.
He said that Israeli authorities had deliberately targeted and killed several of his journalists, including Samer Abu Daqqa and Hamza AlDahdouh who were killed in Gaza during the war. Israel has said it does not target journalists.
Qatar founded Al Jazeera in 1996 and sees the network as a way to boost its global profile.
“Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right of access to information,” the network said in a statement. “Al Jazeera asserts its right to continue providing news and information to its global audience”.
The UN Human Rights Office also criticized the network's shutdown.
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“We regret the government decision to close Al Jazeera in Israel,”, he told X. “A free and independent media is essential in order to ensure transparency and accountability. Now, even more so given the heavy restrictions on broadcasting from Gaza. Freedom of expression is a critical human right. We call on the government to lift the ban”.
Israel's parliament last month approved a law allowing Israel to temporarily shut down foreign television networks deemed to pose a threat to national security.
The law allows Netanyahu and his cabinet to close the network's offices in Israel for 45 days, which can be renewed, so that it remains in effect until the end of July or until the end of major military operations in Gaza.
Qatar, home to several Hamas political leaders, is trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal that could end the war in Gaza.
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