By Kouthar Sambo
Israel has passed a law that puts a ban on Al Jazeera, therefore allowing the government to end all Al Jazeera broadcasting in Israel. This comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Knesset, the country’s legislative body, to pass a bill, known as the “Al Jazeera Law,” that bans Al Jazeera and other foreign news networks, should they pose a “security risk.”
According to media reports, Netanyahu has promised to “immediately act to close Al Jazeera” once the law has been passed. The law passed its final reading by a 70-10 vote.
Speaking on VOC’s Breakfast show on Wednesday, a legal expert, Advocate Muhammad Abduroaf, said Israel has no jurisdiction over who can broadcast in Gaza.
“This just confirms that Israel acts as a law of itself, and whatever they can do to support their agenda, they will do. In this case, journalists in Gaza broadcasting the genocide and atrocities happening there,” remarked Abduroaf.
Part of Israel’s strategy in the past was to assassinate and kill journalists, explained Abduroaf, but it seems that this is no longer working because when one journalist has passed away, the next one will come and continue reporting.
“So now they are passing laws that stipulate you can only broadcast from Israel itself, and whatever you are broadcasting must first be sent to Israeli authorities.”
He added that Israeli lawmakers are acting rather “desperate” and if Israel does not follow through with this, it will expose their war crimes to the international community, as they are already losing traction and credibility every day.
“The truth will always come out because people on the ground have cameras and cellphones, and they will tell the story of Palestinians as citizens. So this is rather a desperate attempt on Israel’s part as a last resort to limit the freedom of the press, this time, in legislation,” reiterated Abduroaf.
Photo: @Al Jazeera/X
