Al Jazeera condemns new Israeli regulation, rejects Netanyahu’s ‘lies’ | Freedom of the Press Information

Media community denounces Israeli prime minister’s ‘slanderous accusations’, says they incite in opposition to the security of its journalists all over the world.

Al Jazeera has condemned a brand new Israeli regulation that would shut down its operations in Israel and stated “lies” unfold by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu incited in opposition to the security of the media community’s journalists worldwide.

As Israel’s battle on Gaza nears the six-month mark, the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, on Monday overwhelmingly backed laws which permits the federal government to order the closure of overseas networks working in Israel and confiscate their tools whether it is believed its content material posed “hurt to the state’s safety”.

After the vote, Netanyahu stated on X he meant to take instant motion to cease Al Jazeera’s actions in Israel, accusing the community of “actively” taking part in Hamas’s October 7 assault and inciting in opposition to Israeli troopers.

Al Jazeera Media Community denounced Netanyahu’s “frantic marketing campaign” as nothing however “harmful” and “ludicrous” lies.

“Netanyahu couldn’t discover any justifications to supply the world for his ongoing assaults on Al Jazeera and press freedom besides to current new lies and inflammatory slanders in opposition to the Community and the rights of its workers.”

In its assertion, the Qatar-based information organisation additionally accused Netanyahu of “inflammatory slanders in opposition to the community and the rights of its workers”.

“Al Jazeera reiterates that such slanderous accusations is not going to deter us from persevering with our daring {and professional} protection, and reserves the proper to pursue each authorized step,” it stated, including that it held the Israeli prime minister chargeable for the security of its employees and premises all over the world “following his incitement and this false accusation in a disgraceful method”.

The community additionally stated the regulation, which Israel has been pushing because the starting of its almost six-month battle on Gaza, was “a part of a collection of systematic Israeli assaults to silence Al Jazeera”.

It cited the 2022 killing of correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh whereas she was protecting an Israeli navy raid within the occupied West Financial institution city of Jenin and the killing of its journalists Samer Abudaqa and Hamza Dahdouh in the course of the battle in Gaza, as effectively the “deliberate concentrating on of a lot of Al Jazeera journalists and their members of the family, and the arrest and intimidation of its correspondents within the discipline”.

Jodie Ginsberg, the chief govt officer of The Committee to Defend Journalists (CPJ), stated the passing of the regulation was “an extremely worrying transfer”.

“It’s one other instance of the tightening of the free press and the stranglehold the Israeli authorities wish to train,” Ginsberg informed Al Jazeera.

“We’ve seen this sort of language earlier than from Netanyahu and Israeli officers by which they attempt to paint journalists as terrorists, as criminals,” Ginsberg stated, commenting on the prime minister’s remarks. “That is nothing new.”

The CPJ says it has documented the killing of a minimum of 95 journalists because the begin of the battle.

White Home spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre stated an Israeli transfer to close down Al Jazeera could be “regarding”.

“America helps the critically necessary work journalists all over the world and that features those that are reporting within the battle in Gaza,” Jean-Pierre informed reporters.

The regulation was handed as Netanyahu faces huge demonstrations in opposition to his dealing with of the battle on Gaza and the safety failures which didn’t detect the Hamas-led assaults on southern Israel. At the very least 1,139 individuals have been killed in these assaults and about 250 captives have been taken to Gaza, in keeping with Israeli authorities.

Israel’s battle on Gaza has killed a minimum of 32,916 individuals, largely youngsters and ladies, in keeping with well being officers within the besieged territory.