Irked by Al Mayadeen, Netanyahu urges 'shutting it down' in West Bank
3 Min Read
Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questions why orders against Al Mayadeen Network in the West Bank have not been enforced yet.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in occupied al-Quds, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP)
Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again called for the closure of the Al Mayadeen Network in the occupied West Bank during a government session held on Monday.
"Why are orders against Al Mayadeen in the West Bank not being enforced?" Netanyahu questioned. In response, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said that this falls under the authority of Security Minister Yoav Gallant.
Karhi added that he had communicated with Gallant multiple times regarding Al Mayadeen, "but it seems that he has decided not to act on this matter, even though he could declare it a terrorist organization," he said, adding that the failure to do so poses a danger to "Israel".
Netanyahu's deputy, Avital Sompolinsky, pointed out that it is not possible to shut down Al Mayadeen in the West Bank under the law, as it does not apply in that area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Israeli military's Central Command.
Netanyahu requested "answers at the next meeting as to why the Security Minister has not closed Al Mayadeen in the West Bank," adding, "It must be shut down."
The incitement against the network is not limited to political officials, as the Israeli Channel 14 prepared a report on Al Mayadeen, in which it expressed its fear of the channel’s media activity in the West Bank, inciting the renewal of its ban and expressing particular displeasure with the interview with the commander of the Tulkarm Brigade in the al-Quds Brigades, Abu Shujaa, before he was assassinated a couple of days later.
Channel 14 also noted that Abu Shujaa was keen to thank the chairman of the Al Mayadeen Network, Ghassan Ben Jeddou, and reminded viewers of what Ben Jeddou said in November, shortly after the first ban on the channel in occupied Palestine: "We are part of the Resistance."
The Israeli channel continued its incitement against Al Mayadeen, urging Karhi to renew the channel's ban after the current 45-day ban expires, ensuring that it "does not return to broadcasting, as has happened twice since the beginning of the war [on Gaza]."
The Israeli government renewed the ban on Al Mayadeen in August, a decision first issued in November 2023, which also included the seizure of its equipment and the blocking of its websites, at Karhi’s request.
The ban followed a joint statement by Gallant and Karhi, attributing the ban to the claim that Al Mayadeen harms "Israel's security".
These Israeli measures against Al Mayadeen come as it continues to cover the events of Operation al-Aqsa Flood since October 7, documenting and exposing Israeli crimes and massacres, while highlighting the acts of resistance against the Israeli occupation across various fronts, in the face of the blackout and misinformation propagated by Israeli and Western media.
Read more: Widespread condemnation follows Israeli extension of Al Mayadeen ban
