In a “dark day for democracy,” Israel compels Al Jazeera to close its national offices and seizes its equipment

Following the closure of Al Jazeera’s activities in the nation and the seizure of some of its communication equipment on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions to curtail press freedoms drew criticism from the UN and human rights organisations.

The decision to close comes as international anxiety over Israel’s anticipated military incursion in southern Gaza’s Rafah, where 1.5 million people are seeking refuge amid a dire humanitarian crisis, is growing and the ceasefire and hostage talks in Cairo show little indication of progress after nearly seven months of fighting.

The news network established in Qatar, which has given tenacious, on-the-ground coverage of Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza, called the closure of its offices a “criminal 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 Israel.

“The government headed by me unanimously decided: the incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel,” Netanyahu declared in a statement that was uploaded on X.

The network’s Jerusalem offices were closed, and its transmission equipment was seized, according to a statement released on Sunday by the Israeli Ministry of Communications. “Moreover, the network’s cable and satellite broadcasts were halted, and its websites were inaccessible,” the government declared.

With accusations of anti-Israeli bias and serving as a “mouthpiece for Hamas,” Netanyahu’s administration has long protested about Al Jazeera’s operations. The closure of the network coincides with the enactment of a broad law that permits the government to prohibit foreign networks deemed to be a threat to national security.

CNN journalists in Israel reported that by late Sunday afternoon, Israeli cable companies had stopped transmitting the Al Jazeera networks. “In accordance with the government’s decision, Al Jazeera channel broadcasts were stopped in Israel,” is the statement that is currently displayed on Al Jazeera’s cable channel in Israel.

Netanyahu was quoted as saying by Ofir Gendelman, the prime minister’s spokeswoman for the Arab world: “Al Jazeera reporters damaged Israel’s security and incited against IDF soldiers.” It’s time to banish the Hamas spokesperson from our nation.

CNN was able to capture footage of Israeli police and ISIS agents entering Al Jazeera’s transmitting location in Jerusalem on Sunday.

The Israeli cabinet’s decision, according to Al Jazeera, violated people’s right to information access.

It went on: “We did not let Israel’s repression of the free press—which involved killing and detaining journalists—to distract us from our duties. Since the start of the Gaza war, almost 140 Palestinian journalists have lost their lives defending the truth.

Since October 7, a number of the network’s journalists in Gaza have suffered injuries or lost their lives.

Israeli “false allegations regarding our violation of the professional frameworks governing media work” were refuted by Al Jazeera once more. Human rights organisations and the media were urged to “condemne the Israeli authorities’ repeated attacks on the press and journalists.”

‘Assault on freedom of the press’

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 Israel.

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 Israeli 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 Israel – 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 Israel 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 Israel.”

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

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

The move to close the network comes amid mounting concerns from press freedom groups about causalities among journalists operating in war zones there and what they describe as obstruction of journalistic work by Israeli authorities.

As of May 3, 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ preliminary investigations showed at least 97 journalists and media workers have been killed 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 Palestinian 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. Israel is ranked 101, slipping four places from 2023.

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

Negotiators have made progress on the technical aspects of a potential deal, but two Israeli 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.