'WHAT SURPRISES ME IS HOW IT MANAGED UNTIL NOW': PALESTINIANS REACT TO ISRAEL'S SHUTDOWN OF AL JAZEERA

'What Surprises Me Is How It Managed Until Now': Palestinians React to Israel's Shutdown of Al Jazeera

After Israel shuttered the local offices of the Qatari-owned news network, Palestinians criticized the ban as an attempt to hide its intensive coverage of the war in Gaza

May 06th, 22PM May 06th, 22PM

On Sunday afternoon, viewers of the Qatari-based news network Al Jazeera in Israel saw their television screens go dark with a Hebrew-language message indicating that the broadcast had been "suspended in Israel."

The same day, Israel's government voted unanimously in favor of a law that grants the Communications Minister the ability to ban the channel for 45 days at a time and shutter the operations of the network in Israel's territory.

Al Jazeera has provided continuous coverage from within the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the current war on October 7, despite notable losses among its correspondents, journalists and photographers due to Israel's bombardment.

In a statement following the announcement of its closure, Al Jazeera said "Israel's ongoing suppression of the free press, seen as an effort to conceal its actions in the Gaza Strip, stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law. Israel's direct targeting and killing of journalists, arrests, intimidation and threats will not deter Al Jazeera from it's commitment to cover [the Gaza war]."

"The Network will pursue all available legal channels through international legal institutions in its quest to protect both its rights and journalists, as well as the public's right to information," the statement concluded.

Responding to the move, Gazan writer and preacher Jihad Helles took to X, writing, "Al Jazeera demonstrated remarkable creativity throughout this war. It was an army of its own. The closure of its office in occupied Palestine today doesn't surprise me; what surprises me is how it managed to operate until now without being shut down from the very beginning."

Shortly after the cabinet vote, Israeli police raided the hotel room which was used by Al Jazeera as a center of operations. A video showing officers confiscating equipment circulated online.

The government authorized Karhi to order the cessation of the channel's broadcasts in both Arabic and English; to close its offices in Israel; to confiscate equipment used by its personnel, except for telephones and computers; and to limit access from Israel to the network's website.

The shutdown did not seem to have affected operations in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, the Associated Press reported on Monday.

Balad party chairman Sami Abou Shahadeh tweeted in Hebrew, "Why is Israel afraid of a channel like Al Jazeera? Why is Israel afraid of the truth? What is Netanyahu and his government trying to hide from us? After 210 days of failure they will fail in this too and the truth will win in the end."

Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy also voiced criticism in an interview with Al Jazeera, saying, "To close [Al Jazeera] down means to close down the option of a free press in Israel. Not less than this."

Egyptian writer Yousef al Domouky on X praised the channel for its dedication to covering Gaza's struggles, writing, "[Al Jazeera bureau chief in Gaza City] Wael [Dahdouh] lost his closest loved ones, [correspondent] Momin [Alshrafi] lost his family, and sadness never left his eyes and voice, [journalist] Anas [al-Sharif] lost his father and his friends, [correspondent] Ismail [Alghoul] lost his brother and neighbors, [journalist Ismail] Abu Omar lost his precious limb, and many journalists lost what was much more precious, and [still] we did not lose coverage!"

In a bid to counter the threat of a sustained closure, Al Jazeera's 24-hour live channel, called Al Jazeera Mubasher, launched an initiative called "Through the Audience's Lens" allowing individuals on the ground to report events in real time in unedited videos. Participants can scan a QR code or contact Al Jazeera via WhatsApp to submit their videos, commentary or news articles for publication.

The project has enabled people to cover protests across various European locations, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany. Individuals in Tunisia have sent messages of support to Gazans, while Palestinians in the enclave have used the channel to document and share images of tragedy and destruction.

2024-05-06T19:26:00Z dg43tfdfdgfd