Israel’s parliament passed a law Monday giving it the power to shut down all foreign news media. The law is specifically aimed at Al Jazeera.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Al Jazeera harmed Israel’s security, actively participated in the October 7 massacre, and incited against IDF soldiers. It is time to remove the shofar of Hamas from our country.” He called them the “terrorist channel” and decreed that they will no longer broadcast from Israel.
Israel will also block the channel from being shown to Israelis. The U.S. indicated that it was uncomfortable with this because it is obviously a free press is essential, even more so during wartime. Still, the U.S. is close to approving an $18 billion arms deal for Israel, which would include 50 F-15 fighter jets.
Al Jazeera is one of the few places where you can find actual coverage of the destruction in Gaza. For instance, Monday when seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen were killed in Gaza. That story was covered by Reuters and the Associated Press too. The AP showed passports indicating that the strike killed many international people, including those from Britain, Australia, Poland, and a U.S. and Canadian dual citizen.
