ANKARA 

The Israeli government on Sunday voted unanimously to shut down the bureau of the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera television.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government has decided to close Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel.

Last month, Israel’s Knesset (parliament) passed legislation allowing the closure of the Al Jazeera television.

Under the legislation, the communications minister is empowered to shut down foreign networks operating in Israel and confiscate their equipment if the defense minister identifies that their broadcast poses “an actual harm to the state’s security.”

“Our orders will go into effect immediately,” Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said after signing an order to close the channel.

“Too much time has passed and there have been too many unnecessary legal hurdles in order to finally stop the well-oiled incitement machine of Al Jazeera, which harms the security of the state.”

Al Jazeera has an office in Israel and a team of correspondents working year-round, including covering Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 34,600 people since Oct. 7, 2023.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi