Outcry grows over Israel's move to shut down Al Jazeera broadcasting

Global human rights organisations and press bodies have criticised a decision by Tel Aviv to shut down Al Jazeera television.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said on Sunday in a statement that the group had petitioned the country's supreme court, seeking an interim ruling to reverse the decision.

Dismissing claims that the move was meant to alleviate security concerns, the ACRI said it was driven by political motivations to silence dissent amid the ongoing war in Gaza and target Arabic media.

Israeli authorities raided the offices of Doha-based Al Jazeera television in Jerusalem and confiscated its equipment on Sunday, shortly after a government decision to shut down the broadcaster.

'Dark day for democracy'

The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents foreign media in Israel, the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza, has condemned Israel's decision.

“With this decision, Israel joins a dubious club of authoritarian governments to ban the station,” it said in a statement.

“This is a dark day for the media. This is a dark day for democracy.”

'Covering up Israeli atrocities'

Human Rights Watch (HRW) also denounced a decision by the Benjamin Netanyahu government's decision to shut down Al Jazeera, saying Tel Aviv was trying to "muzzle" the broadcaster.

"Al Jazeera's offices have been bombed in Gaza. Their staff has been beaten in the West Bank. They've been killed in the West Bank and Gaza," said Omar Shakir, HRW's Israel and Palestine director.

"Israel is trying to muzzle Al Jazeera. But precedent is larger and threatens to cover up Israeli atrocities in Gaza," he added.

Last month, Israel’s parliament Knesset passed legislation allowing the closure of the Al Jazeera television.

Under the legislation, the communications minister is empowered to shut down foreign networks operating in Israel and confiscate their equipment if the defence minister identifies that their broadcast poses “an actual harm to the state’s security.”

Al Jazeera has an office in Israel and a team of correspondents working year-round, including covering Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza, which has killed over 34,600 people since October 7, 2023.