by AP and Israel Hayom Staff
Jordan and Saudi Arabia have closed Al Jazeera's local offices, while the channel and its affiliate sites have been blocked in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain.
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu is considering shutting down the local offices of Arab
satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera, an Israeli official said Tuesday. The
move follows the crackdown against Qatar by Sunni countries across the
region.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an effort to
isolate Qatar, accusing the energy-rich Persian Gulf state and the
Qatari-backed network of supporting violent Islamic groups across the
Middle East.
Jordan and Saudi Arabia have closed Al
Jazeera's local offices, while the channel and its affiliate sites have
been blocked in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and
Bahrain.
While Israel is not formally part of that
effort, the stepped-up pressure appears to have emboldened Netanyahu to
look into closing down the channel's local operations as well. Israeli
officials have long accused Al Jazeera of bias against Israel, and on
Monday, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman accused it of promoting
incitement and likened its coverage to "Nazi Germany-style" propaganda.
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported Tuesday
that government officials held a meeting on the issue on Monday. The
Israeli official confirmed that discussions were underway but said no
decisions had been made. Netanyahu's office declined to comment.
Walid Omary, Al Jazeera's local bureau chief,
said he had not been notified of any formal action against his
operation. But he rejected the Israeli claims of bias and accused Israel
of waging an incitement campaign.
"This is not the first time they have attacked us," he said. "I hope they will withdraw the threat."
Shutting the bureau would likely face
significant legal obstacles and test Israel's commitment to protecting
freedom of the press.
Some key officials might also oppose the step.
While Israel complains about Al Jazeera's coverage, the station is also
one of the few Arab media bodies that interviews Israeli officials,
giving Israeli leaders a rare outlet to address the Arab public.
AP and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=43101
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