Israel moves to shut down local operations of Al-Jazeera

Record ID: 905428

  • Title: Israel moves to shut down local operations of Al-Jazeera
  • Date: 6th August 2017
  • Summary: JERUSALEM (AUGUST 6, 2017) (REUTERS) ISRAELI COMMUNICATION MINISTER, AYOUB KARA, ENTERING ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI COMMUNICATION MINISTER, AYOUB KARA, SAYING: "We have identified media outlets that do not serve freedom of speech but endanger the security of Israel's citizens, and the main instrument has been Al Jazeera, which actually caused us to lose the best of our sons and actually incited." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI COMMUNICATION MINISTER, AYOUB KARA, SAYING: "In order to bolster the security of Israel's citizens and in order to bring a situation that channels will report objectively - we have no problem, we have other channels from various countries which we have no problem with, let them continue reporting everything - but a media, which has been deemed to be a supporter of terror by almost all Arab countries, and we know this for certain, we will take a few steps against it, to express our fight against terrorism and radical Islam, and our empathy with the sane Arab world." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI COMMUNICATION MINISTER, AYOUB KARA, SAYING: "I'm going to ask the Government Press Office, to demand that the press credentials of Al-Jazeera TV journalists working in Israel be revoked. Second, I turned to the cable and satellite companies which showed willingness to consider the blacking out of Al-Jazeera broadcasts in cable and satellite. I also turned to the minister of public security asking to activate his authority to shut down the offices of the network in Israel." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI COMMUNICATION MINISTER, AYOUB KARA, SAYING: "The security of our citizens and their well-being precedes freedom of speech, in times of terror, period. The freedom of speech is not the freedom of incitement. Democracy has boundaries as well. When it comes down to the question what precedes what, I have no doubt, I prefer citizens and soldiers alive in Israel." ISRAELI COMMUNICATION MINISTER, AYOUB KARA, LEAVING ROOM
  • Embargoed: 20th August 2017 15:29
  • Keywords: Israe shuts down Al-Jazeera revokes journalists credentials closes jerusalem bureau
  • Location: JERUSALEM
  • City: JERUSALEM
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016T0PWEF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Israel plans to revoke the press credentials of Al-Jazeera TV journalists, close their Jerusalem bureau and pull the Qatar-based station's broadcasts from local cable and satellite providers, Communications Minister Ayoub Kara said on Sunday (August 6).
    The closure did not appear imminent, however, and an Israeli official who declined to be named said a legal process was still required to implement most of the proposed steps.
    Journalists working for the station in Israel said they did not expect imminent moves against them.
    Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Facebook post that he would work to shut the network's offices in Israel, accusing it of inciting recent violence in Jerusalem, including over an Old City site that is holy to both Muslims and Jews.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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