Israel delays vote on closure of Al Jazeera television

JERUSALEM

The Israeli Cabinet postponed voting on a decision to ban Al Jazeera television in the country until next Sunday, local media reported on Friday.

The Israeli Walla website said that the Cabinet did not vote at its meeting on Thursday evening on a decision to close Al Jazeera in Israel.

“The Cabinet, which met on Thursday evening, was supposed to vote on a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi to ban Al Jazeera's activities in Israel, but at the last minute, the vote was postponed,” the website added.

It said that the vote “will take place during a meeting of the Cabinet next Sunday,” without revealing the official reasons for this delay.

While no statement has been issued by the Israeli government on this matter, the website quoted senior officials believing that the postponement of the vote is “due to political reasons related to Qatar and a hostage deal.”

Reports have emerged of a cease-fire proposal being discussed by Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has vowed to invade Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, with or without a deal with Hamas.

Hamas, which is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages, demands an end to Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip in return for any hostage deal with Tel Aviv.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala