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Israel's parliament handed a regulation on Monday that enables overseas media in Israel to briefly shut down — and maybe primarily — Al Jazeera.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged a number of instances that he intends to close down Al Jazeera in Israel.
The regulation permits for the closure of overseas media bureaus for a renewable interval of as much as 45 days, and can stay in impact till the top of July or till main navy operations in Gaza finish.
It additionally permits their units to be seized if they’re deemed to “hurt the safety of the State”.
“Al Jazeera harms Israel's safety, actively participates within the October 7 bloodbath, and incites in opposition to Israeli troopers,” Netanyahu mentioned in a publish on Twitter on Monday. “I intend to take fast motion in accordance with the brand new regulation to cease the channel's exercise.”
Netanyahu's feedback and threats are the newest in a sequence of Israeli assaults on Al Jazeera.
Has Israel threatened to close down Al Jazeera earlier than?
On July 26, 2017, Netanyahu threatened to shut Al Jazeera's Jerusalem workplace whereas commenting on the outlet's protection in a Fb publish, saying that Al Jazeera journalists “incite violence”.
Netanyahu's publish got here amid important disagreements between Israeli officers and Palestinians over the Al-Aqsa mosque.
Earlier, on 12 March 2008, Israel's authorities press workplace sanctioned Al Jazeera employees in Israel after Al Jazeera TV lined the ceremony following the discharge of Samir Kuntar from an Israeli jail. Kuntar, a Lebanese Druze member of the Palestinian Liberation Entrance and Hezbollah, was sentenced for homicide, tried homicide and kidnapping.
Has Israel attacked Al Jazeera workplaces outdoors Israel?
On Might 15, 2021, the Al-Jala Tower in Gaza Metropolis, which housed the workplaces of Al Jazeera and The Related Press, in addition to a number of residences, was destroyed by an Israeli missile.
This occurred through the full-scale Israeli assault on Gaza that occurred between Might 10 and 21, 2021.
Has Israel harmed Al Jazeera journalists?
Lately, on March 18, 2024, Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul was arrested for 12 hours and overwhelmed by Israeli forces in al-Shifa hospital in Gaza Metropolis. Israeli forces additionally destroyed media gear.
Earlier throughout Israel's present struggle on Gaza – on February 13, 2024 – Al Jazeera's Arabic correspondent Ismail Abu Omar and his cameraman, Ahmed Matar, have been injured in an Israeli strike north of Rafah, Gaza.
On December 15, 2023, Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief, Wael Dahdouh, was injured in an Israeli drone strike in Khan Yunis, Gaza.
And, on June 5, 2021, Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Giwara Buderi was detained for hours and bodily assaulted whereas protecting an illustration within the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Have Al Jazeera journalists been killed?
On January 7, 2024, Al Jazeera journalist Hamza Dahdouh, the eldest son of Wael Dahdouh, was killed in an Israeli missile strike in Khan Yunis, Gaza. Hamza Dahdouh was in a car close to al-Mawasi with one other journalist, Mustafa Thuraya, who was additionally killed within the assault.
On December 15, 2023, Al Jazeera Arabic cameraman Samir Abudaka was killed in the identical Israeli drone strike that injured Wael Dahdouh in Khan Yunis, Gaza. Abudaka bled to loss of life for 4 hours, as emergency staff have been unable to achieve him as a result of they wanted Israeli navy clearance to go away safely.
Humanitarian organizations and different journalists pressured the military to facilitate his evacuation, however as a consequence of Abudaka's bleeding the Israeli navy blocked assist from reaching the positioning. By the point assist was allowed to achieve Abudaka, he had bled to loss of life.
Dahdouh mentioned the assault occurred in an space the place “there was nobody besides us”, including that he was undoubtedly focused.
On Might 11, 2022 – a 12 months and a half earlier than the struggle on Gaza started – Israeli forces killed veteran Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Shirin Abu Aqleh whereas she was reporting from Jenin within the occupied West Financial institution. Abu Aqleh was often called the “Daughter of Palestine”.
Israel's story on what occurred to Abu Aqleh modified a number of instances. Shortly after he was killed, Israeli officers condemned the allegations in opposition to Israeli troopers, saying that Palestinian fighters had killed him.
Two days later, the Israeli navy mentioned that the bullet that killed Abu Aqleh might have been fired by an Israeli soldier. An announcement launched by the Israeli navy mentioned the soldier was aiming at Palestinian gunmen who fired at him, and Abu Aqleh was shot as a substitute.
Abu Aqleh's colleagues, who accompanied him by means of lots of the investigations, pressured that there have been no Palestinian fighters within the neighborhood when he was murdered.
Six days later, Israeli officers recognized the Israeli weapon which will have killed him. On September 5, 2022, Israel mentioned there was a “excessive chance” that Abu Aqleh was “by chance killed” by Israeli navy gunfire, however {that a} felony investigation wouldn’t be launched.
Has Israel harmed anybody else related to Al Jazeera?
The scope of Israel's assaults has additionally reached the households of journalists. On October 25, 2023, Wael Dahdouh's spouse, younger son, daughter, and grandson have been all killed when an Israeli airstrike struck the home he had taken refuge in inside the Nusseirat refugee camp.
Dahdouh and his household have been displaced after the Israeli military ordered civilians in northern Gaza to maneuver south and have been taking refuge in what the Israeli military advised them was a secure zone.
The Israeli navy confirmed in a press release to CNN that it was its airstrike that killed Dahdouh's household. The navy mentioned in a press release that the assault was focused at “Hamas terrorist infrastructure.”
What does Al Jazeera say in regards to the newest menace?
The Qatar-based community dismissed these as Israel's “outrageous accusations” and accused Netanyahu of “provocation”.
“Al Jazeera holds the Israeli Prime Minister accountable for the safety of its employees and community premises world wide following his provocative and outrageously false allegations,” NWTWorks mentioned in a press release.
“Al Jazeera reiterates that such reprehensible allegations won’t deter us from persevering with our daring {and professional} protection, and reserves the appropriate to take any authorized steps.”