Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet unanimously voted on Sunday to close the Al Jazeera broadcaster in Israel, the prime minister said on X.
“The government headed by me unanimously decided: the incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday.
Al Jazeera has denied inciting against Israel, The Associated Press reported, but the announcement escalates Israel’s long-running feud with Al Jazeera, which is funded by Qatar’s government.
Al Jazeera’s English broadcast, the AP reported, often resembles other major networks, but it’s Arabic version often publishes verbatim video statements from Hamas and other militant groups in the region.
It was not immediately clear what the effects of the Israeli government’s vote would be. The AP reported that Al Jazeera correspondents took to air on Sunday to give their understanding of how the vote would affect the operations in Israel. One said it would not affect the Al Jazeera operation in the Palestinian territories, and another said the order barred the channel from “holding offices or operating them” in Israel and said the websites would be blocked.
The vote comes amid ongoing talks about a cease-fire, which Qatar is helping to broker between Israel and Hamas.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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