TEL AVIV: In a significant development amid the ongoing Gaza war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that his government has unanimously voted to close the offices of Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera in Israel.
Netanyahu announced the decision via X, formerly known as Twitter.
Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias against it. The vote comes amid deeply strained ties between Israel and the channel, which have worsened during the war against Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
Al Jazeera is one of the few international media outlets to remain in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting bloody scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and accusing Israel of massacres. Israel accuses Al Jazeera of collaborating with Hamas.
Al Jazeera, the Doha-based broadcaster funded by Qatar’s government, has not made an announcement in this regard so far, its Arabic-language broadcaster acknowledged the news in its broadcast Sunday. Meanwhile, its English arm continued to operate with live shots from East Jerusalem just minutes after the announcement by Netanyahu, as reported by agencies.
Leave a comment