Al Jazeera Nazareth branch continues broadcasts after national ban, gets shut down

The broadcast studio of Al Jazeera in Nazareth was forcibly closed on Thursday after inspectors found it had been continuing broadcasts after the national ban on Sunday.

In accordance with the mandate of Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, the media network is banned from broadcasting in Israel. The Qatari-run network has been accused of incitement.

The forced closure was carried out by inspectors from the Communications Ministry who seized the equipment that was being used to transmit live broadcasts on the Al Jazeera channel. The last emission was broadcast yesterday, May 8, three days after the ban was mandated.

The equipment confiscated includes a camera, a TVU transmitter, a tripod and audio kit.  The operation was completed without mishaps.

Al Jazeera responsible for incitement 

On May 6, a similar seizure took place at Al Jazeera Jerusalem bureau. Walid Omary, the bureau chief, confirmed that Israeli police arrived Sunday at a hotel and confiscated broadcast equipment, closing off access to the room.

In accordance with the government’s decision to ban Al Jazeera operations in Israel, the Communications Ministry will continue to enforce the ban to protect the security of the state.

“Al Jazeera correspondents have harmed the security of Israel and incited against IDF soldiers. The time has come to eject Hamas’s mouthpiece from our country,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the decision had been made.

Keren Setton/The Media Line contributed to this report