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Israel’s parliament has approved what is known as the “Al-Jazeera law” which allows broadcasters from abroad to be shut down if they are deemed to pose a risk to state security, parliament said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers voted in favour in the second and third readings.<\/p>\n
Under the law, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi can order the closure of a television broadcaster, the confiscation of broadcasting equipment, the removal of the broadcaster from cable and satellite television providers’ programmes and the blocking of its website, ynet news site reported.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would immediately campaign for the closure of Al-Jazeera once the law had been approved, the Times of Israel reported, although similar efforts have failed in the past.<\/p>\n
Israel accuses the broadcaster of biased reporting. Al-Jazeera’s programmes and reports represent “incitement against Israel,” Karhi said last year after the massacre by Palestinian Islamist in the Israeli border region.<\/p>\n
The reporting helps terrorist organizations such as Hamas, he said.<\/p>\n
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Al-Jazeera has reported extensively on the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip and shown images of death and destruction rarely shown on Israeli television.<\/p>\n
The channel also regularly shows videos of the military arm of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, often of attacks on Israeli soldiers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n