Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is preventing the closure of al-Jazeera in Israel, according to a report today (Thursday) by Avishai Grinzeig of Kann 11 News. This, despite the government approving the emergency regulations last week to shut down broadcasting bodies harming national security.
Yesterday, the security cabinet convened, with Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s request for the cabinet to approve shutting down al-Jazeera’s broadcasts in Israel meant to be on the agenda. But according to the report, the Prime Minister prevented the matter from being discussed and thus prevented the possibility of shutting down the station inciting during wartime. Communications Minister Karhi said that they were “waiting for the cabinet decision.”
A political source responded to the delay by saying “this isn’t the most important thing in the world right now, they will always continue to broadcast from the Gaza Strip, anyway. There is no basis at this stage for the assessment that their broadcasts allow for sending the location of forces to Hamas. In the end it will be put to a legal test – but the path there is long.”
As noted, last week the government approved emergency regulations to close down broadcasting bodies harming national security. The guidelines were drafted by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and received the support of defense officials and the Attorney General, with the aim of allowing the closure of the pro-Palestinian channel al-Jazeera in Israel.
Karhi said then that: “the closure of al-Jazeera in Israel comes after presenting proofs that it is aiding the enemy, broadcasting propaganda in the service of Hamas in Arabic and English to viewers around the world, and even delivering sensitive information to our enemies.”
The effective significance of the move is that the channel’s offices would be confiscated and their workers’ journalistic credentials revoked. Last Tuesday, when it seemed that al-Jazeera was about to be closed down in Israel, journalist Chaim Etgar encountered one of its writings and asked for answers regarding the channel’s activity.
“Why are you broadcasting here? Why are you still here? Al-Jazeera doesn’t need to be here,” Etgar said, “Those who report on us as murderers and Hamas as righteous don’t need to be here, brother. You deal with the questions, you’re a journalist and smart. People in your channel say Hamas are heroes. These are heroes?”