Al Jazeera says Israel to shut its Jerusalem office
Israel seeks to ban Qatar's flagship Al-Jazeera news network from operating in the country, joining regional Arab states that already shut the station after accusing the broadcaster of inciting violence.
- World
- DPA
- Published Date: 12:00 | 06 August 2017
- Modified Date: 05:25 | 06 August 2017
Israel will close the office of Al Jazeera in Jerusalem, the Qatari news television network said on Thursday.
"Israel to shut Al Jazeera offices in Jerusalem and revoke credentials of its journalists," the broadcaster said on Twitter, adding that the shutdown would include its Arabic and English channels.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Al Jazeera of inciting violence in a conflict over a Jerusalem holy site.
Netanyahu said he had appealed several times to law enforcement authorities demanding the closure of Al Jazeera's Jerusalem office.
Al Jazeera, a main conduit for news from Israel to the Arab and Muslim world, extensively covered tensions in Jerusalem over Israeli security measures at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.
The Doha-based network has been banned in several countries - including Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Syria - and has been accused of being a mouthpiece for Islamist groups, a charge Al Jazeera has denied.
Al Jazeera has been repeatedly accused of bias by Israeli authorities.
In June, Netanyahu met with top security and intelligence officials to discuss potentially shutting down the news bureau, Israeli media reported.