AMN
Israel today announced it plans to ban Qatar’s flagship Al-Jazeera news network from operating in the country, joining regional Arab states that shut down the broadcaster amid allegations that it incites to violence.
Communications Minister Ayoob Kara said he plans to revoke the press credentials of Al-Jazeera journalists, effectively preventing them from working in Israel.
Kara said he has asked cable and satellite networks to block Al Jazeera transmissions and is seeking legislation to ban them altogether. The Minister, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, gave no timetable for such measures.
Jordan and Saudi Arabia have recently closed Al-Jazeera’s local offices, while the channel and its affiliate sites have been blocked in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain.