Lebanese press group slams Israeli decision to shut Al Jazeera offices

By Wassim Saifuldine

BEIRUT (AA) – The Lebanese Press Syndicate on Tuesday condemned an Israeli decision to shut Qatar-owned Al Jazeera television.

This decision “shows that the Israeli enemy plans to commit new massacres that it does not want the media to document and publish,” it said in a statement.

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

Last month, Israel’s Knesset (parliament) passed legislation allowing the closure of the pan-Arab channel.

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

​​​​​​​Al Jazeera, which broadcasts in both Arabic and English, decried the Israeli decision and vowed to pursue all available legal channels to protect both its rights and journalists as well as the public’s right to information.

Al Jazeera has an office in Israel and a team of correspondents working year-round, including covering Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 34,800 people since Oct. 7, 2023.​​​​​​​