Police seize Al Jazeera’s broadcasting equipment as news network closes operation in Israel

TEL AVIV: As Al Jazeera was pulled off air in Israel on Sunday, the police, too, seized the news network’s broadcasting equipment from its Jerusalem offices on Sunday afternoon, according to The Times of Israel.

The move comes after the Israeli government approved a decision earlier to temporarily shut the outlet on the grounds that it has harmed national security in numerous ways.

The channel was unavailable on Israel’s two largest TV providers, Yes and Hot, for several hours after the government accepted the decision to halt its operations.

As of Sunday evening, some, but not all, internet providers still had Al Jazeera’s English-language and Arabic websites up and running.

BREAKING: Israeli Police is closing Al Jazeera offices in Israel pic.twitter.com/N9guVqC5oT

— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) May 5, 2024

In parallel, police officers and Communications Ministry inspectors came to Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem offices to seize the channel’s broadcast equipment and seal the doors.

The video released by the office of hardline Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who led the charge to shut the channel, showed Israeli officials entering the facility and documenting the equipment within, according to The Times of Israel.

The government, on Sunday (May 5) had voted unanimously to close the Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, nearly six months after first announcing its intentions to do so due to security concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war.

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi signed an executive order immediately after the vote passed, and it thus came into effect right away. In a video statement, Karhi called Al Jazeera a “Hamas incitement organ”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also posted on X, “The government under my leadership decided unanimously: The incitement channel Al Jazeera will be shut down in Israel.”

In its decision on Sunday, the cabinet explained that it had classified opinions from the Shin Bet on April 9 deeming Al Jazeera a national security threat. The IDF and Mossad also provided classified opinions supporting limiting Al Jazeera’s broadcasts in Israel. (ANI)