Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to “act immediately to stop” Al Jazeera’s operations in the country after the Israeli parliament approved a law that grants senior ministers powers to shut down foreign news networks deemed a security risk.
“Al Jazeera will no longer be broadcast from Israel,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on X after the law was approved in its final readings on Monday.
“I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel’s activity.”
Netanyahu has long sought to shutter broadcasts from the Qatari-based media outlet, alleging anti-Israel bias.
The law, which passed in a 71-10 vote in the Knesset, gives the prime minister and the communications minister the authority to order the closure of foreign networks operating in Israel and confiscate their equipment if it is believed they pose “harm to the state’s security”.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday that an Israeli move to shut down Al Jazeera would be “concerning”.
“We believe in the freedom of the press. It is critical. It is critically important, and the United States supports the critically important work journalists around the world, and that includes those who are reporting in in the conflict in Gaza,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.
“So we believe that work is important. The freedom of the press is important. And if those reports are true, it is concerning to us.”
Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the new Israeli law is “posing a significant threat to international media”.