Israel orders shut down of Al Jazeera in the country, seizes equipment, in ‘dark day for democracy’

[Pelican Press 0]

******* orders shut down of Al Jazeera in the country, seizes equipment, in ‘dark day for democracy’

CNN
 — 

******* shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in the country and seized some of its communication equipment Sunday, prompting condemnation from the ******* Nations and rights groups over ******** Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s moves to restrict press freedoms.

The closure comes as ceasefire and ******** negotiations in Cairo show little sign of breakthrough after almost seven months of war, and international concern mounts over *******’s expected military offensive in southern Gaza’s Rafah, where 1.5 million people are sheltering amid a devastating humanitarian crisis.

The Qatari-based news network, which has produced dogged, on the ground reporting of *******’s war against ****** in Gaza, called the closure of its offices a “********* act,” while critics said the move was a “dark day for democracy” and that it sets a concerning precedent for other international media outlets operating in *******.

In a statement posted on X, Netanyahu said: “The government headed by me unanimously decided: the incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in *******.”

The ******** Ministry of Communications said Sunday it had closed the network’s Jerusalem offices, and confiscated its communication equipment. “In addition, the network’s broadcasts on cable and satellite were stopped, and access to its websites was blocked,” the ministry said.

Netanyahu’s government has long complained about Al Jazeera’s operations, alleging anti-******** bias and accusing the network of being a “mouthpiece for ******,” and the closure follows the passage of a sweeping law allowing the government to ban foreign networks perceived as posing a threat to national security.

******** cable providers ceased carrying the Al Jazeera networks by late Sunday afternoon, CNN journalists in the country confirmed. Al Jazeera’s cable channel in ******* now displays a message stating, “In accordance with the government’s decision, Al Jazeera channel broadcasts were stopped in *******.”

Ofir Gendelman, the prime minister’s spokesperson to the ***** world, quoted Netanyahu as saying: “Al Jazeera reporters harmed *******’s security and incited against IDF soldiers. It is time to expel the mouthpiece of ****** from our country.”

Video obtained by CNN showed ******** police accompanied by agents of the ******* Security Agency entering Al Jazeera’s broadcasting position in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Al Jazeera said the ******** cabinet’s decision infringed on the human right to access information.

It continued: “*******’s suppression of the free press to cover up its ******* by ******** and arresting journalists did not deter us from performing our duty. More than 140 ************ journalists have been martyred for the sake of the truth since the beginning of the war on Gaza.”

Several of the network’s journalists working in Gaza have been injured or ******* since October 7.

Al Jazeera again denied *******’s “false allegations regarding our violation of the professional frameworks governing media work,” and called on media and human rights organizations “to condemn the ******** authorities’ repeated attacks on the press and journalists.”

The move comes a month after Netanyahu vowed to shut down the television channel in the country following the passage of the new law, which placed a raft of restrictions on Al Jazeera in *******.

Those restrictions included giving the government authority to take action against offices operated by the network and confiscate equipment and reporters’ press cards, as well as restricting its broadcasts and public access to its website.

Netanyahu said on X in early April that he intended “to act immediately in accordance with the new law” to stop the outlet’s activity in the country.

Al Jazeera has an office in Jerusalem, as well as in the West Bank and Gaza.

Since the start of the war, it has produced critical, on-the-ground coverage of ******** military operations and their humanitarian impact on the embattled enclave.

The new law gave the prime minister and communications minister authority to order the temporary closure of foreign networks operating in ******* – powers that rights groups say could have far-reaching implications on international media coverage of the war in Gaza.

UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Sunday condemned the closure of Al Jazeera. “As we have said before, we stand firmly against any decision to roll back freedom of the press. A free press provides an invaluable service to ensure that the public is informed and engaged,” Dujarric said.

The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in ******* described the move as “a dark day for democracy” and “a cause for concern for all supporters of a free press,” while the Committee to Protect Journalists said it “sets an extremely alarming precedent for restricting international media outlets working in *******.”

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch condemned the decision as an “******** on freedom of the press,” according to a written statement shared by Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch’s *******, and Palestine Director (HRW) on Sunday.

“Rather than trying to silence reporting on its atrocities in Gaza, the ******** government should stop committing them,” Shakir said.

The move to close the network comes amid mounting concerns from 

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 about causalities among journalists operating in war zones there and what they describe as 

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 by ******** authorities.

As of May 3, 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ preliminary investigations showed at least 97 journalists and media workers have been ******* since the war began.

The annual Press Freedom Index, released Friday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said the war in Gaza saw “a record number of violations against journalists and media” since October.

Palestine – the term the organization uses for the ************ territories – is ranked 157th out of 180 countries and territories on the Press Freedom Index, and it’s the deadliest region for journalists, according to RSF. ******* is ranked 101, slipping four places from 2023.

The move to shut down Al Jazeera in ******* comes as negotiators met in Cairo on Saturday, in a bid to secure a ceasefire and ******** deal.

Negotiators have made progress on the technical aspects of a potential deal, but two ******** sources say it could take a week to finalize the deal itself. Qatar has played a key role in ceasefire negotiations in the on-going war.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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#******* #orders #shut #Jazeera #country #seizes #equipment #dark #day #democracy

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