Government Approves Shutting Down Al Jazeera’s News Operations

By Aryeh Stern

The government on Sunday unanimously endorsed the closure of Al Jazeera’s news operations, with Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announcing the decision via a video posted on social media, where he signed the directives against the Qatari network.

The approved directive empowers authorities to revoke Al Jazeera’s press credentials and confiscate its transmitters.

In his post, Karhi stated, “The government approved, and I immediately signed the orders against Al Jazeera. Our orders will go into effect immediately. Too much time has passed, and too many unnecessary legal hurdles, for us to finally be able to stop Al Jazeera’s oiled incitement machine that harms the security of the country.”

The initiative to ban Al Jazeera gained momentum following revelations in February when reporter Mohamed Washah was exposed as a Hamas commander. It was discovered that Washah played a significant role in the terror group’s anti-armor missile systems, leading to concerns over national security.

In October, Al Jazeera faced accusations of endangering Israeli soldiers by divulging details of their assembly points. Consequently, the Cabinet approved emergency regulations to temporarily shut down Al Jazeera operations in Israel. Although there was widespread support from the security and diplomatic establishment for this move, it was not implemented as Qatar emerged as a mediator between Israel and Hamas for a potential hostage swap.

The decision to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations is grounded in legislation known as “the Al Jazeera Law,” which stipulates that if the prime minister is convinced that a foreign channel is harming the country, the minister of communications, after receiving at least one security opinion and with the approval of the government or the Cabinet, can take appropriate action against that channel.