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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
This picture taken on May 11, 2022 shows a view of the main headquarters of Qatari news broadcaster Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar. /CFP
The Israeli cabinet unanimously approved the shutdown of the Al Jazeera channel and office in the country on Sunday.
Under the decision, Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English operations in Israel will be banned for an initial period of 45 days, with the possibility of indefinite renewal.
Immediately after the cabinet meeting, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi signed decrees formalizing the ban on the Qatari-based news organization.
"Anyone who incites against the State of Israel... will no longer broadcast from Israel here, and his equipment will be confiscated," Karhi said in a video posted on social media platform X.
Walid Omary, Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Jerusalem, told Reuters the Israeli move was "dangerous", driven by political motives, and that the network's legal team is preparing a response.
The move came after the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, approved a law in April granting the cabinet authority to shut down foreign broadcasts in Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deems them, based on the opinion of Israeli security services, to pose a national security threat.
Israel has long accused Al Jazeera of having close ties with Hamas, which the channel denies, and a pro-Palestinian stance in its coverage of Israel's actions in the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank.
"We condemn and denounce this criminal act by Israel that violates the human right to access information," Al Jazeera said in a statement on X in Arabic.
(With input from Xinhua, AFP)