We're going to begin with breaking news from Israel,
where the cabinet has voted to unanimously shut down Al
Jazeera's operations in the country.
That's according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement
on X Now.
It's not clear when this decision is going to take
effect.
Earlier in April, the Israeli parliament approved a law that
allows the government to ban broadcast channels it considers a
threat to national security.
Imran Khan is our correspondent in occupied E Jerusalem and
preemptively recorded his final message in case of a potential
ban.
If you're watching this pre recorded report,
then Al Jazeera has been banned in the territory of
Israel.
On April the 1st, the Knesset,
the Israeli parliament passed a law that allowed the Prime
Minister to ban Al Jazeera.
He's now enacted that law.
Let me just take you through some of the definitions
within the law.
They've banned our website, including anything that has the option
of entering or accessing the website,
even passwords that are needed,
whether they're paid or not,
and whether it's stored on Israeli servers or outside of
Israel.
The website is now inaccessible.
They're also banning any device
used for providing content. That includes my mobile phone.
If I use that to
do any kind of news gathering,
then the Israelis can simply confiscate it.
Our Internet access provider, the guy that simply
hostsaljazeera.net, is also in danger of being
fined if they host the website.
The Al Jazeera TV channel completely banned.
Transmission by any kind of content provider is also banned
and holding offices or operating them in the territory of
Israel by the channel.
Also, once again, any devices used to provide content for
the channel can be taken away by the Israelis.
It's a wide-ranging ban. We don't know how long it
will be in place for,
but it does cover this territory of the State of
Israel.
Imran Khan, Al Jazeera occupied E Jerusalem.
Jackie Valdo is a political analyst and contributor to Haaretz.
He's joining us now from Tel Aviv.
Thank you very much indeed for being with us.
We're still trying to get clarification on some of the
details
about this, this motion that has been passed by the
the cabinet.
Tell us what kind of impact you think this might
have within Israel.
Well, I'm not sure how many Israelis are
watching Al Jazeera.
For me, I will be very upset
when I will not be able to watch you
on my television set. But I'm sure that
they will not be able to remove you from
the
cyber network and on the net.
I'm sure that Israelis who are addicted to Al Jazeera
as well as myself will be able to watch us.
I am not sure if they are
going to take steps against
your correspondence. Or maybe this is also my last interview
on Al Jazeera.
Perhaps when I get back home I'm on my way
now.
There will be a police officer waiting for me.
I hope not, but
the the reason is of course
very populistic, to move to feed the beast of the
public opinion that that is very disappointed from the conduct
of the government in Gaza and in the international arena.
And this is to please the partners from the radical
right.
And
this is, I'm afraid, not the last step.
We know that there are ministers,
among them, the ministers of communication that is looking at
another networks,
including Israeli channels, that are not satisfying the government.
I want to be, I want to pick you up
on that point because that's
that in terms of the original law that was put
together in April the 1st,
the original motion that was put together
when the bill was passed back in in April,
it did specify that it wasn't necessarily just Al Jazeera,
was it? It was any media organization that I believe
the the occupation forces regarded as a security risk.
So from what you were saying,
yes, Al Jazeera may well be affected by this,
but so may well be other networks as well,
including as you mentioned Israeli networks
and maybe including my newspaper
Howard's that is criticizing the government.
And there are the ministers,
members of this cabinet that if it was up to
them,
they already suggested to stop
supporting Howard's by putting government the federal
advertisement and to take steps against the Channel
11, which is a public channel that is financed by
the public.
And right now, while we are talking,
the Minister of Communication is trying to stop them from
completing a series of documentary series on the first Nakba
on the 48th,
which gives a narrative that
offers a narrative that we're
not very pleased with. So yes,
I'm afraid that Al Jazeera will find itself with a
good company.
I want to talk to you about the timing of
this because of course this is at the moment when
there are are
crucial negotiations going on between Hamas and Israel,
but also Qatar and Egypt as well
in Cairo. How significant is it,
do you think that it is taken
effectively this long for this decision to be reached?
When the original bill was passed back in April,
Benjamin Netanyahu said immediately that Al Jazeera was going to
be shut down straight away.
And yet would a month down the line,
Well, I will not be surprised if there will be
appeals to the High Court.
We know that already the Israeli human rights organizations,
civil rights organizations have
reached out to the to the government
asking them not to do this,
to put this on hold.
And I'm sure that the High Court will look into
this
in a broader perspective that it's not just Al Jazeera.
We have other Arab correspondents and networks that
are
at risk of being shut down.
And as I said, there will be maybe even Israeli
media agencies that will appeal because you cannot in a
democratic country
pass such a specific law that singles out
one network. And you know that there is Arabia.
CNN is sometimes broadcasting from Gaza unpleasant
images and footage about people starving.
So we are on a slippery slope.
While have you on the line?
There are a couple of statements that have come out.
One, first of all, from Benjamin
Netanyahu's office saying that Israel cannot accept Hamas demands for
an end to the war and withdrawal of forces from
Gaza,
leaving Hamas in power. It says that that would amount
to capitulation and it will keep fights
until its war aims are achieved.
At the same time, Hamas has released a statement saying
it is still keen on reaching A comprehensive ceasefire.
Give me your feelings towards the situation with regard to
the talks that are going on in Cairo at the
moment.
Well, let me first of all link your question
to the previous one. We know that you are now
broadcasting from Doha
and we know that Qatar was deeply and hopefully still
deeply involved in the negotiations to put an end to
the war and to bring back the captives.
And I will not be surprised if
the
legislation that just it's not a legislation still it's maybe
it will have to pass the parliament the Knesset.
But the
cabinet's decision maybe has to
do with
Netanyahu's kind of
this pleasant a pleasance with the the Qatari,
Qatari role and they demand to
make sure that the Hamas will not still Hamas leaders
will not stay in in Doha.
But to your question, I believe that Netanyahu doesn't want
to put an end to the war,
because this means an end to
Netanyahu's era.
It means that he will have to say goodbye to
Guns and Eisenkot.
They will not be able to explain and to justify
their presence in the government
together with Bangui and Smothridge.
And I believe that the
pressure from the United States,
from the White House, will do its job and
will start the countdown for the next elections.
And Netanyahu is now acting like someone who is,
between the pressure of the United States on one hand,
Ben Grier and Smooth Fish on the other hand.
And of course, the Israeli captives and the public opinion
that is calling to end this war and bring them
home.
Akiva Alda, we appreciate you joining us.
And Al Jazeera. So thank you very much indeed for
your time.