Israeli Prime Minister Vows to Shut Down 'Terror Channel' Al Jazeera

Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will shut down satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera immediately.

Netanyahu vowed to close the “terror channel” after parliament passed a law Monday clearing the way for the country to halt Al Jazeera from broadcasting from Israel.

Netanyahu accused Al Jazeera of harming Israeli security, participating in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and inciting violence against Israel.

“The terror channel Al Jazeera will not broadcast any longer from Israel,” Netanyahu wrote on X. “It is my intention to act immediately under the new law to stop the channel's activities."

The new law allows authorities to close foreign media that “harms the state’s national security.”

Israel's communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, has called the Qatari-based satellite channel a “propaganda arm of Hamas.”

“It is impossible to tolerate a media outlet, with press credentials from the government press office and offices in Israel, would act from within against us, certainly during wartime,” Karhi said.

It was not immediately clear whether Israel would shut down the channel.

“A move like this is concerning. We believe in the freedom of the press,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “If those reports are true, it is concerning to us.”

Israel has threatened to shut down Al Jazeera over its coverage of the war. Al Jazeera is a owned by the gas-rich nation of Qatar, and is deeply critical of Israel, particularly its treatment of Palestinians.

Over the last few months, Qatar has emerged as a key intermediary in efforts to broker a cease-fire and a release of hostages held by Hamas. Qatar has hosted Hamas’ political office in its capital of Doha for over a decade. The forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command is at Qatar’s sprawling Al Udeid Air Base. (With inputs from agencies)