Israel to shut down Al Jazeera’s local operations
Palestinians strive to salvage usable belongings from the site of an Israeli strike on a house in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday. Rebuilding Gaza’s shattered homes will take at least until 2040 but could drag on for many decades, according to a UN report. Photo: REUTERS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that his government has decided to shut down the Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera, with which his administration has had a long-running feud.
The government "unanimously decided: the incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel", Netanyahu said on X, formerly Twitter.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "There will be no freedom of speech for the Hamas trumpets in Israel," Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said in a separate joint statement with Netanyahu.
Walid Al-Omari, head of Al Jazeera's offices in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, reacted to the decision by saying it followed "a campaign in search of easy victories by ministers on (Israel's) extreme right".
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