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Palestinians condemn Israel's closure of Al Jazeera office

August 7, 2017 at 10:16 am

A caricature depicting Israel and the Gulf working together to ‘uproot’ and the Al Jazeera Media network [Arabia21]

Palestinian factions and the Palestinian interior ministry condemned yesterday Israel’s decision to prepare for the closure of Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem office, Anadolu reported.

Hamas spokesman Hazim Qasim told Anadolu that this move attempts to “limit exposing the reality of Israeli violations against Palestinians”.

He added: “Al Jazeera is committed to telling the Palestinian narrative. It exposed Israeli crimes committed during the Israeli offensive on Gaza”. It also reported on Israeli army aggression during Al-Aqsa, he added, which the Israeli government does not like.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of Islamic Jihad Daud Shehab told Anadolu that attempts to close Al Jazeera’s office:

targets free speech and aims to impose a blackout on crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians and Jerusalem

Read: Israel moves to shut down local operations of Al Jazeera

Spokesman of the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza Iyad Al-Bozom described the Israeli decision as “oppressive” and said that his ministry stands with Al Jazeera.

Early yesterday Israeli Communication Minister Ayoob Kara said that Israel is preparing to close Al Jazeera’s office in Jerusalem.

Kara said he had requested that the government press office revoke press credentials of Al Jazeera’s journalists.

He said that he would join the Gulf countries, adding: “These countries say the channel [Al Jazeera] is a tool of Daesh, Hezbollah and Iran; we are supporting this.”

The move follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for the office to be shut down, accusing it of inflaming tensions around Al-Aqsa Mosque.

On Thursday Al Jazeera issued a statement saying that it would use all necessary legal measures to close it down.

Read: Netanyahu vows to ‘remove Al Jazeera from Israel’