Israeli Cabinet set to vote on closure of Al Jazeera television

JERUSALEM

The Israeli security cabinet is set to vote on Thursday on closing the office of the Doha-based Al Jazeera television, according to local media.

Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara has given the green light for the cabinet to consider the closure of the channel in Israel, the public broadcaster KAN reported.

There was no comment yet from the pan-Arab channel on the Israeli move.

Last month, the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) passed legislation allowing the closure of the Al Jazeera television.

Under the legislation, the communications minister is empowered to shut down foreign networks operating in Israel and confiscate their equipment if the defense minister identifies that their broadcast poses “an actual harm to the state’s security.”

Al Jazeera has an office in Israel and a team of correspondents working year-round, including covering Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 34,600 people since Oct. 7, 2023.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar