Israel strips foreign journalists of accreditation

The Israeli government has said it is revoking the press credentials of Al Jazeera journalists working in the country. The move comes four months after the Jewish state closed the Qatari TV network’s bureau there.

Al Jazeera’s Israeli offices were closed on May 5 and its websites have been blocked since Israel called the outlet’s reporting on the Gaza conflict “incitement” of terrorism. The company condemned the Israeli decision to block its operations as a “criminal act.” 

On Thursday, the Israeli government’s press office (GPO) stated on X that it is “revoking the GPO cards of Al Jazeera journalists working in Israel (subject to a hearing), following the unanimous government decision in May to shut down the channel in Israel and prohibit its broadcasts.” 

The statement also quoted press service director Nitzan Chen as saying that “Al Jazeera disseminates false content, which includes incitement against Israelis and Jews and constitutes a threat to IDF soldiers.” 

Chen claimed that the use of press cards in the course of the journalists’ work “could in itself jeopardize state security at this time.”

The new measure will apply to Al Jazeera journalists and broadcasters in Hebrew and Arabic, according to the press service. However it does not apply to the network’s producers and photographers. “The revocation will be valid for as long as the Knesset legislation and the temporary order are in force,” the GPO said.

According to an AFP report, citing an Israeli official familiar with the matter, the latest decision will affect four full-time Al Jazeera journalists with Israeli citizenship.

Israeli officials have been trying to shut down Al Jazeera’s bureau in the country since at least 2017, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the outlet of “incitement.” At the time, the network condemned such initiatives and insisted it would continue to “professionally and accurately” cover events in the Palestinian-populated territories.

In April, the Israeli parliament approved a law allowing the temporary closure of foreign networks deemed a threat to national security. The new law empowered the authorities to order TV providers to block broadcasting by designated outlets, close their local offices, seize their equipment, and restrict access to their websites.

International rights groups have condemned the law’s potential implications and the shutdown of Al Jazeera’s offices.

Launched in 1996, the Qatari network is one of the few global media outlets with a physical presence both in Gaza and Israel, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.