The headquarters al-Jazeera in Doha, Qatar. (Credit: AFP archive photo)
The Israeli government announced on Sunday that it had extended the ban on the Qatari channel al-Jazeera for another 45 days, for the third time since the enactment of the so-called “Al Jazeera Law" implemented on May 5. The law, adopted at the instigation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, accuses the channel of supporting Hamas.
Amid the Gaza war, the Israeli parliament passed a law specifically targeting the channel, enabling the Israeli government to censor and close down the offices of foreign media outlets it considered “a threat to the security” of Israel. The law stipulates the closure for an initial closure period of 45 days, which may be extended upon judicial review before the period expires
On June 9, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel appealed to the Supreme Court against the channel's closure. The case was referred back to the Tel Aviv District Court, which, citing procedural flaws, decided to extend the closure for 35 days instead of 45.
Al-Jazeera strongly condemned the initial decision, calling it “a criminal act (...) undertaken with deceit and slander” that violates access to information.“Israel’s suppression of the free press to cover up its crimes by killing and arresting journalists did not deter us from performing our duty,” al-Jazeera added in a statement, affirming that it would continue to operate internationally.
In addition to its coverage of the war in Gaza, al-Jazeera also documented Israeli opposition protests, putting the channel even more in the crosshairs of the Israeli parliament — which approved, in a preliminary reading with a 59% majority, a bill aimed at banning the channel once and for all. So far, the channel has not reacted to this vote.
The Israeli army has repeatedly accused journalists from the Qatari channel of being “terrorist agents” affiliated to Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad.
Al-Jazeera again denied these accusations in a statement issued on Sunday, calling them “dangerous and ridiculous lies.” It also reported that “some Western countries, including the United States, have expressed concern about this law, considering it a restriction and an attack on press freedom.”
In April, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre expressed concern about the ban, adding that "the United States supports the critically important work journalists do around the world, and that includes those who are reporting on the conflict in Gaza.”
Since Oct. 7, the Committee to Protect Journalists has reported that at least seven journalists affiliated with al-Jazeera have been killed in Gaza, as well as one missing person — adding to the tally of journalists killed by the Israeli army in Gaza, which recently exceeded 100 deaths.
Al-Jazeera also announced last February that of the 99 journalists who died in the field in 2023, 77 were killed in Gaza — almost one in three.
