Israel’s cabinet on Sunday unanimously voted to close the Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, nearly six months after first announcing its intentions to do so due to security concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi signed an executive order immediately after the vote passed, and it thus came into effect right away.
In a video statement, Karhi called Al Jazeera a “Hamas incitement organ.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also posted on X, “The government under my leadership decided unanimously: The incitement channel Al Jazeera will be shut down in Israel.”
The decision, which requires recertification every 45 days, includes shutting down Al Jazeera broadcasts in Arabic and English; shutting down Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel; seizing equipment used for its broadcasts; and limiting access to its websites, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the decision was based on a law that Israel’s Knesset (parliament) passed on April 2, which expires on July 31. The legislation will therefore need to be extended if the government wishes to extend the decision beyond that date.
The law itself is also facing a constitutional challenge in the High Court of Justice by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) based on its violation of free speech, and the state has until May 15 to file its preliminary response to the court.
The government passed emergency executive measures at the start of the war that would have enabled it to shut down Al Jazeera temporarily. These were in effect from October 21 until January 20.