Aljazeera: Israel Decision Banning the Channel Is Criminal Act

Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned the Israeli government’s decision to close its operations in Israel, and classified it as a “criminal act” and warned that the country’s suppression of the free press “stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law”.

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The statement of the channel came after the decision of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today to stop the work of its network in Israel until the end of the war in Gaza, considering that the network constitutes a threat to national security.

A video clip circulating on the Internet showed individuals in civilian clothes dismantling photography equipment in a hotel room.

The statement of the Qatari channel said today Sunday, “Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right to access of information. Al Jazeera affirms its right to continue to provide news and information to its global audiences.”

“Israel’s ongoing suppression of the free press, seen as an effort to conceal its actions in the Gaza Strip, stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law. Israel’s direct targeting and killing of journalists, arrests, intimidation and threats will not deter Al Jazeera from its commitment to cover, whilst more than 140 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war on Gaza.”, said Aljazeera.

The statement condemned the Israeli decision and described it as a “criminal act.”

Last month, the Israeli Knesset approved a draft law allowing the temporary closure in Israel of foreign broadcast stations considered a threat to national security.

The law allows Netanyahu and the small security cabinet to close the network’s offices in Israel for a period of 45 days, which is a renewable period, allowing it to remain in effect until the end of July or until the end of major military operations in Gaza.

For his part, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative Movement, Mustafa Barghouti, said on Sunday that the decision of Israel to close Al Jazeera “is evidence of weakness, and an indication of the Tel Aviv government’s fear of the power of truth and of the role of Al Jazeera in exposing war crimes taking place in Palestine.”

Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders, is participating in mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages that could stop the war in Gaza.