Israel extends Al Jazeera ban by 45 days, citing security threat

Reuters Reuters | 06-10 16:11

A ban on Al Jazeera's operations in Israel was extended for another 45 days by Israel's telecoms regulator on June 9 after the cabinet agreed its broadcasts posed a threat to security.

A Tel Aviv court last week upheld an initial 35-day ban on Al Jazeera operations in Israel, imposed by the government on national security grounds, which ended on Saturday.

Also read | Israel bans Al Jazeera: A look at the history of their feud, the network’s coverage of Gaza & accusations

In a separate ruling on a petition by Al Jazeera against the closure, Israel's Supreme Court described the measure against the Qatari-backed broadcaster channel as "precedent-setting".

It gave Israel's government until Aug. 8 to offer arguments for "why it should not be determined that the Law Preventing a Foreign Broadcaster from Harming National Security" is void.

Al Jazeera had told the court it did not incite violence or terrorism and that the ban was disproportionate, court documents showed. The channel, which has criticised Israel's military operations in Gaza, said it planned to appeal the latest ban extension.

The network's broadcasts on the cable and satellite companies and access to its websites will remain blocked, Israel's Communications Ministry said.

"We will not allow the terrorist channel Al Jazeera to broadcast from Israel and endanger our fighters," said Shlomo Karhi, adding that the law authorised him as communications minister to take such action against foreign broadcasters.

"In light of the seriousness of the damage to the security of the state I am convinced that the closure orders will be extended in the future as well," he said.

Judge Shai Yaniv had said he had been provided with evidence, which he did not specify, of a long-standing and close relationship between the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Al Jazeera, accusing the channel of promoting Hamas' goals.

Al Jazeera said it "rejects all the minister's claims, excuses and accusations".

Israeli authorities raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its office on May 5 and said they were shutting the operation down for the duration of the Gaza war.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.


ALSO READ

Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery

A giant sphere 700 m (2,300 ft) underground with thousands of light-detecting tubes will be sealed i...

science | 6 hours ago

Samsung employees strike: Government announces withdrawal of strike; union says final decision on October 16

While the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced that the Samsung workers’ strike had been calle...

technology | 6 hours ago

Chiratae Ventures honours Narayana Murthy with the Patrick J. McGovern Award

The 18-year-old global technology venture capital fund, Chiratae Ventures, announced the Chiratae Ve...

technology | 6 hours ago

Gen Z spending to hit $2 trillion by 2035: Report

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Snapchat’s parent, Snap Inc., have brought out a report that deep ...

technology | 6 hours ago

Apple launches new iPad mini with AI features

Apple on Tuesday launched its new generation of the iPad mini packed with AI features including writ...

technology | 6 hours ago

Intel, AMD team up to confront rising challenge from Arm

Intel and Advanced Micro Devices on Tuesday said they are forming a group to help make sure software...

technology | 6 hours ago