Israel passes law to allow Al Jazeera news broadcast ban; Netanyahu calls it 'terrorist channel'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government will ban Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Israeli lawmakers on Monday passed a law, known as the Al Jazeera law, in the Israeli parliament that grants Netanyahu the ability to stop foreign broadcasters if they are seen to pose a national security risk.

"The terrorist channel Al Jazeera will no longer broadcast from Israel. I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel's activities," Netanyahu wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Israel not to ban Al Jazeera, saying in an October statement that a "plurality of media voices is essential in order to hold power to account, especially in times of war."  

Al Jazeera condemns closure of operations in Israel

Al Jazeera news network has condemned Israeli action to shutter the media network.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to shut down operations of the media network, after Parliament passed a law clearing the way for closure.

Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of unfair bias against Israel. Netanyahu called it a "terror channel" that spreads incitement on Monday.

Al Jazeera said the statements were "nothing but a dangerous ludicrous lie." The media network said that the "latest measure comes as part of a series of systematic Israeli attacks to silence" it.

The Israeli decision threatens to heighten tensions with Qatar, which owns the channel, at a time when the Doha government is playing a key role in mediation efforts to halt the war in Gaza.

Press freedom group 'deeply concerned' by Israel's 'Al Jazeera' law

The press freedom organization, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was "deeply concerned" by Israel's plans to shutter Qatari state broadcaster Al Jazeera.

The Israeli parliament on Monday passed legislation that would allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to shut down the news organization's activities in Israel. 

"CPJ is deeply concerned by new legislation authorizing the Netanyahu government to shutter Al Jazeera in Israel," CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said.

He added: "The law grants the government the power to close any foreign media outlets operating in Israel, posing a significant threat to international media within the country. This contributes to a climate of self-censorship and hostility towards the press, a trend that has escalated since the Israel-Gaza war began."    

Under the law, the government can order the closure of a television broadcaster, the confiscation of equipment, the removal of the channel from cable and satellite providers and the blocking of its website, the Israeli Ynet news site reported.