Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is preventing the closure of al-Jazeera in Israel, according to a report today (Thursday) by Avishai Grinzeig of Kann 11 News. This, despite the government approving the emergency regulations last week to shut down broadcasting bodies harming national security.
Yesterday, the security cabinet convened, with Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s request for the cabinet to approve shutting down al-Jazeera’s broadcasts in Israel meant to be on the agenda. But according to the report, the Prime Minister prevented the matter from being discussed and thus prevented the possibility of shutting down the station inciting during wartime. Communications Minister Karhi said that they were “waiting for the cabinet decision.”
A political source responded to the delay by saying “this isn’t the most important thing in the world right now, they will always continue to broadcast from the Gaza Strip, anyway. There is no basis at this stage for the assessment that their broadcasts allow for sending the location of forces to Hamas. In the end it will be put to a legal test – but the path there is long.”
As noted, last week the government approved emergency regulations to close down broadcasting bodies harming national security. The guidelines were drafted by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and received the support of defense officials and the Attorney General, with the aim of allowing the closure of the pro-Palestinian channel al-Jazeera in Israel.
