The decision was made with the support of a newly instituted law from April that gives Israel’s prime minister and communications minister the power to block foreign news channels if they are believed to pose a risk to the country’s security.
The opposition says in a statement that it stands behind the decision, but also that the timing of the shutdown of Al Jazeera could damage the ongoing negotiations with Hamas, writes Haaretz.
During the day, the police raided the channel’s office in Jerusalem and, on orders from Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, confiscated cameras, computers and memory cards, among other things.
Promises legal action
Since October 7, Al Jazeera has been criticized on several occasions by, among others, Prime Minister Netanyahu, who called them a terrorist channel, for engaging in one-sided and biased reporting.
They are one of the few media houses that during the course of the war reported from inside Gaza, have condemned Israel’s actions and say that their lawyers are preparing a countermeasure.
“The network strongly denies the allegations made by Israeli authorities that suggest a breach of professional media standards,” they write.