Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has carried out his vow of banning Qatar-owned media platform, Al Jazeera, from broadcasting in Israel.
The Israeli Parliament effected the ban on Monday when it passed a new national security law banning Al Jazeera and other media outlets deemed unfriendly from operating in the country.
The law which was passed by 70 votes to 10, also grants top ministers the power to ban broadcasts by foreign channels deemed a national security threat and to shut their offices.
While announcing the result of the vote, Netanyahu tagged Al Jazeera a ‘terrorist channel’ which he says his government has had a long-running feud that predates Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
“The terrorist channel Al Jazeera will no longer broadcast from Israel. I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel’s activities,” Netanyahu said on X.
However, while reacting to the ban in a statement, the broadcaster said it was part of a series of systematic Israeli attacks to silence Al Jazeera, including the killing of one of its most prominent journalists in the region while covering an Israeli raid in May 2022.
The network said Netanyahu had launched a “frantic” and “disgraceful” campaign of accusations against the it, but vowed to continue its “bold” coverage of the ongoing war.
New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, in a statement condemning Netanyahu, said the law “contributes to a climate of self-censorship and hostility toward the press, a trend that has escalated since the Israel-Gaza war began”.