The recent closure and subsequent ban of the Al Jazeera operations in Israel has been referred to court for determination over its continued stay in the country as authorities demand it ‘remains off air’ completely.
Arguably, the matter between the media house and Israeli government is being heard in a Tel Aviv court seeking determination. Israeli authorities are demanding that the controversial ban on the Al Jazeera news network in the country remains shut, after a court upheld the ban but shortened it by 10 days.
The media house is contesting the action and has dragged Tel AViv to court. It argues the action is an abrogation of the media right to operate and play its role as society’s mirror as part of the democratic dispensation.
In May this year, Israel banned the Qatari-based news network from operating in the country for 45 days under a sweeping new wartime law that allows the Israeli government to ban foreign media organizations it deems “harmful” to the nation’s security.
Al Jazeera reacted to the closure and condemned the action describing it: “dark days for democracy” that sets a concerning precedent for other international media outlets operating in Israel.
While the ban is not permanent and only valid during the declared period of war, the Israeli government can continue to extend the closure for additional 45-day periods.
On Tuesday, a Tel Aviv District Court ruled that the ban on Al Jazeera could stand but was to be shortened to 35 days, meaning it will expire on Sunday. Al Jazeera said it was notified by the Israeli Ministry of Communications on Wednesday that it intends to request that the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approve another 45-day ban.
Israel has claimed that Al Jazeera “harms Israeli security,” and has a “close connection” with Hamas, the militant group it is waging war against in Gaza.
“Al Jazeera reporters harmed Israel’s security and incited against IDF soldiers. It is time to expel the mouthpiece of Hamas from our country,” Netanyahu said last month. Local and foreign media close to the matter cite a Tel Aviv District Court judge as admitting having received the evidence of the government’s claims, though the evidence was not made public.
Walid Omary, Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem bureau chief, is cited as having had “cynicism, sarcasm and contempt for the court’s decision, and we reject all accusations and excuses.”
Last month, Israeli authorities raided Al Jazeera offices in Jerusalem, seizing its broadcast equipment and shutting down its operations. The network’s channels were removed from Israeli cable and satellite providers and its website was blocked from within Israel.
Weeks later, Israeli authorities also seized equipment from the Associated Press that was used to broadcast the Gaza skyline, in a rampage arguably to clamp down dissenting media voices.
Authorities claimed the broadcast being provided to Al Jazeera endangered Israeli troops. The move sparked swift condemnation, including from press groups, Israeli opposition leaders and the US government. Hours after the seizure, Israeli authorities returned AP’s equipment and the live shot was back on air.
Al Jazeera, one of the only networks to have a live, consistent presence from within the blockaded Gaza strip, has denied Israel’s claims that it is a threat to the country’s security, calling the allegations “dangerous and ridiculous.” At least six of its staff members have been killed in Gaza since the war began.
Earlier, the Israeli Supreme Court also heard arguments brought against the law by an Israeli civil rights association, which said among other arguments, that the law infringes on the right to freedom of expression, information and press in Israel.
During the hearing, Justice Yitzhak Amit, the head of the panel of judges, said that “there is no doubt that there is a violation of freedom of expression here,” Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper reported. It’s not clear when the high court will issue its ruling on the law.
Earlier, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) condemned the action by Israel, describing the ‘last straw in press freedom’.
“It’s completely unacceptable in a democratic country to ban and not allow its citizens to access a diverse set of voices,” argued CPJ’s Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna.
