Israel is going full steam ahead with a new mission to ban Al-Jazeera from the airwaves in Israel:
CBN NEWS – At a press conference on Sunday, Israeli Communications Minister Ayoub Kara said he plans to revoke press credentials for Al-Jazeera journalists working in Israel. He has also asked satellite and cable networks to block Al-Jazeera’s transmissions.
Kara, an Israeli Druze, said he would like to see legislation passed banning Al-Jazeera altogether in Israel.
“Lately, almost all countries in our region determined that Al-Jazeera supports terrorism, supports religious radicalization,” Kara said. “And when we see that all these countries have determined as fact that Al-Jazeera is a tool of the Islamic State, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and we are the only ones who have not determined that, then something ludicrous is happening here.”
Israel’s efforts to ban the Qatari-owned agency follows similar moves by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, all of which blocked its TV channel and affiliate sites. Jordan and Saudi Arabia also closed Al-Jazeera’s local offices.
This announcement comes just a few days after Netanyahu said this:
“The Al-Jazeera network does not cease to incite to violence around the Temple Mount. I have appealed to law enforcement agencies several times to close the Al-Jazeera office in Jerusalem. If this is not done due to legal interpretation, I will work to enact the necessary laws to remove Al-Jazeera from Israel,” declared Netanyahu.
I know Al-Jazeera is just a news organization and isn’t in the same league as the Temple Mount, but I do wonder if the plans to shut them down will be met with anger from the Palestinians and calls by Muslim Brotherhood head Yusuf al-Qaradawi to rage against Israel.