Al Jazeera offices in Israel have been shut down by the Israeli government on Sunday May 5th as the government calls out the media network for biased and pro Hamas reporting.
The news network has called out the ban as a “criminal act” and that the country’s suppression of the free press “stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law”.
A statement from the news network has been released, a copy of which appears below:
“Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right to access of information. Al Jazeera affirms its right to continue to provide news and information to its global audiences,”.
Additionally, press groups have commented on the action by the Israeli government.
Press freedom groups condemned Israel’s decision to shut down Al Jazeera.
Tim Dawson, the deputy general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, told Al Jazeera from London, that it is “utterly a retrograde and ridiculous decision”.
“Closing down media, closing down television stations is a sort of thing that despots do,” he said.
“Israel makes much of being a democracy and the idea that it can simply close down an international broadcaster of considerable reputation and history is atrocious,” Tim Dawson.
It must be noted that news network Al Jazeera is funded by Doha, Qatar, who is also sponsoring the crucial ceasefire talks underway between Hamas, the United States and Israel.
Previously, Al Jazeera journalists have been at risk when reporting in conflict regions. Among others who have lost their lives, Palestinian reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, renowned across the Arab world, was killed by the Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank in 2022 while reporting.
Here is the statement released by Al Jazeera on being forced to go off air in Israel.
Israel Shuts Down Al Jazeera Offices
In a deceptive and slanderous move, the Israeli Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, unanimously voted to shut down Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel. They also chose to withdraw crew accreditations, as well as banning media service providers from transmitting its broadcasts and blocking Al Jazeera Media Network websites.
Ironically as the world marked World Press Freedom Day; the lsraeli government closed Al Jazeera’s offices, preventing the public from accessing its content, disregarding the universally recognised fundamentals of freedom of expression.
Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right to access of information. Al Jazeera affirms its right to continue to provide news and information to its global audiences.
Israel’s ongoing suppression of the free press, seen as an effort to conceal its actions in the Gaza Strip, stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law. Israel’s direct targeting and killing of journalists, arrests, intimidation and threats will not deter Al Jazeera from its commitment to cover, whilst more than 140 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war on Gaza.
The Network vehemently rejects the allegations presented by Israeli authorities suggesting professional media standards have been violated. It reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values embodied by its Code of Ethics.
Al Jazeera urges all media freedom, human rights, and other concerned organisations, to condemn the repeated attacks on journalists and the press by Israel, and to hold those responsible to account. The Network will pursue all available legal channels through international legal institutions in its quest to protect both its rights and journalists, as well as the public’s right to information.
“Targeting journalists is a crime.”
The emergency measure to take Al Jazeera off air in Israel will last for 45 days and can be extended, according to sources. However, this is a developing story.
Sources: AL JAZEERA
