Democracy Dies in Darkness

Israel shuts down Al Jazeera’s operations, raids Jerusalem office

The government is banning Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel over its Gaza war coverage. Israel’s Foreign Press Association called it a “dark day for democracy.”

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May 5, 2024 at 2:27 p.m. EDT
A man maneuvers media equipment following an Israeli police raid on an Al Jazeera de facto office at the Ambassador Hotel in Jerusalem on Sunday. (Jamal Awad/Reuters)
6 min

JERUSALEM — Israel’s government moved Sunday to shut down the Al Jazeera Media Network’s operations in Israel, clamping down on one of the few international broadcasters providing largely uninterrupted coverage of the Gaza war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision followed a unanimous vote by Israel’s war cabinet, posting on X that “the incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel.” In a separate statement, he accused Al Jazeera correspondents of having “harmed the security of Israel” and said “the time has come to eject Hamas’s mouthpiece from our country.”