Arab media beacon Al Jazeera announced on Sunday that it was committed to “pursue every legal step”, in order to continue operations in Israel. All this, just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet voted to shut down the Qatari-based global outlet’s offices in Israel; at least up until a point in time where the war in Gaza ends.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long accused Al Jazeera of bias in relation to their reporting on the workings of Hamas, said the Israeli cabinet ultimately determined after some thought that Al Jazeera was a lingering threat to national security. This shocking decision comes amid concerns that cease-fire talks were failing and that an Israeli invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah is coming “in the near future.”
On instructions from Netanyahu, Israeli authorities raided an East Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its office. As such, a video circulated online showing plainclothes officers dismantling camera equipment. Additionally, Israeli satellite and cable television providers abruptly suspended Al Jazeera broadcasts.