Two leading international organisations that campaign for freedom of the press and freedom of expression have strongly condemned the closure of the Arab TV station Al Jazeera in Israel.

“Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the closure of Al Jazeera’s office in Israel and the blocking of the channel’s websites,” CPJ Programme Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said in New York on Sunday.

“This move sets an extremely alarming precedent for restricting international media outlets working in Israel,” he added. “The Israeli cabinet must allow Al-Jazeera and all international media outlets to operate freely in Israel, especially during wartime.”

“RSF strongly condemns freedom-threatening legislation that censors a TV network for its coverage of the war in Gaza,” the French-based organisation Reporters Without Borders stated via the platform X, formerly Twitter.

A few hours earlier, the Israeli government had issued a decision banning the TV channel Al Jazeera from operating in Israel.

Inspectors from the Ministry of Communications immediately searched the broadcaster’s premises in East Jerusalem and confiscated equipment and devices.

Cable and satellite providers took the broadcaster off the air and its websites were blocked.

Israel had accused Al Jazeera of carrying out propaganda for the Islamist Hamas, against which Israel is waging war in the Gaza Strip.

Since the beginning of the war, Al Jazeera has reported extensively on the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip and shown unflattering images of death and destruction.

However, the channel also regularly publishes videos of attacks on Israeli soldiers by Hamas’ military arm.

(dpa/NAN)