Alwaght- Aljazeera has slammed Israeli Regime's decision to shut down the media network's office in al-Quds (Jerusalem) as an “undemocratic” attack on press freedom.
Following in the footsteps of Saudi-led Arab regimes, Tel Aviv announced it plans to revoke media credentials of Al Jazeera journalists and close the al-Quds bureau of Qatar's flagship satellite network , accusing it of “supports terrorism” and being a “a tool" of ISIS, Hamas, Iran, and Hezbollah, a claim the network has denied.
"We have based our decision on the move by Sunni Arab states to close the Al Jazeera offices and prohibiting their work," Israeli regime's communication minister Ayoub Kara said, adding that the channel is being used by groups to "incite" violence.
Kara said he expects regime's parliament, the Knesset, to consider his request in the next session.
“Lately, almost all countries in our region determined that Al Jazeera supports terrorism, supports religious radicalisation," Mr Kara said.
"And when we see that all these countries have determined as fact that Al Jazeera is a tool of the Islamic State [Isis], Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and we are the only one who have not determined that, then something delusional is happening here."
The state-owned Al Jazeera channel and website have also been blocked in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain. Egypt banned Al Jazeera several years ago.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Rami Khouri of the American University in Beirut, denounced the plan saying it is "very typical of regimes" in the region.
"Regimes that want to control power will almost always go after two targets - the media and the foreigners. Everybody goes after the media."
Aidan White, director of the London-based Ethical Journalism Network, called Israel's decision "a full frontal attack" on press freedom.
"It is a shocking statement, and it completely undermines Israel's claims to be the only democracy in the region, because it gets to the heart of one of the most important institutions of democracy.
"This attack on Al Jazeera is really an attack on all critical independent journalism."
The Committee to Protect Journalists has also criticized the Israeli move.
"Censoring Al Jazeera or closing its offices will not bring stability to the region, but it would put Israel firmly in the camp of some of the region's worst enemies of press freedom," CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said in a statement.
"Israel should abandon these undemocratic plans and allow Al Jazeera and all journalists to report freely from the country and areas it occupies," it said.
