Israel is planning to close Al Jazeera’s operations in the country after it accused the pan-Arab broadcaster of inciting violence in Jerusalem.
Ayoub Kara, the communications minister, said yesterday that the government would revoke press credentials from the network’s journalists. He also said that cable and satellite providers had agreed to shut off its broadcasts.
“We have identified media outlets that do not serve freedom of speech, but endanger the security of Israel’s citizens, and the main instrument has been Al Jazeera,” he told a news conference.
The cabinet could take both steps unilaterally. Mr Kara proposed shutting the channel’s offices in Jerusalem, but that would likely require new legislation, and face a tough court challenge.
Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, who proposed the closure last month, wrote on Twitter: “I congratulate communications minister Ayoub Kara who, following my instructions, today took a series of practical steps to stop Al Jazeera’s incitement in Israel.”
Read the full article by Gregg Carlstrom of The Times at The Australian (subscription only).