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Al Jazeera's bureau main successful Gaza, Wael Al-Dahdouh (C-L) hugs his girl during nan ceremonial of his boy Hamza Wael Dahdouh, a journalist pinch nan Al Jazeera tv network, who was killed successful an Israeli aerial onslaught successful Rafah successful January. File Photo by Ibrahim Al-Khatib/UPI | License Photo
May 5 (UPI) -- The authorities of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raided nan Jerusalem offices of Al-Jazeera and shuttered nan news broadcaster arsenic critics blasted nan move arsenic a rustle to property freedom.
"The authorities headed by maine unanimously decided: nan incitement transmission Al Jazeera will beryllium closed successful Israel," Netanyahu said on societal media. Netanyahu thanked Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi for his efforts successful shuttering nan network.
Karhi shared a video connected societal media that showed inspectors from nan Communications Ministry backed by Israeli Police raiding nan offices and confiscating nan broadcaster's equipment.
Netanyahu's authorities has been captious of Al-Jazeera's sum of his warfare successful Gaza and antecedently called nan web a "mouthpiece" for Hamas, nan Palestinian militia that Israel and its friends see to beryllium a violent group.
The determination to ambush nan Qatar-based Al-Jazeera came aft nan Knesset passed a measure successful April that would let nan authorities to temporarily adjacent immoderate overseas media outlets. The move could strain relations pinch Qatar, which has been acting arsenic a mediator passim Israel's war.
Al-Jazeera, successful a news article covering its ain closure, noted that it has "repeatedly rejected" accusations made by Netanyahu's government.
The management of U.S. President Joe Biden has not yet commented connected Israel's move. However, successful 2022, nan U.S. National Security Council released a statement condemning Russia for akin moves amid its warfare successful Ukraine.
Emily Horne, nan spokesperson for nan interagency advisory group, said past that Russia's censorship agency " shuttered independent Russian media outlets, blocked societal media, and restricted entree successful Russia to world news outlets."
The Committee to Protect Journalists, an defense group for property freedom, noted precocious Saturday that Israel was among nan worst jailers of journalists worldwide successful 2023 and that Palestinian Gaza was among nan deadliest countries for journalists.
The ambush came conscionable aft World Press Freedom Day, an observance of nan United Nations held Friday to raise consciousness for nan value of property freedom.
