After thousands of members of Hamas attacked Israel back on October 7th, the American people have become decisively split on the situation. While college students who are longing to belong to something have been quick to align themselves with the pro-Palestine agenda, many others refuse to support Hamas and have found themselves backing Israel. No matter their reasons, this latest news from Israel proves this isn’t a fight we need to have any involvement in.
With unanimous approval from the Israeli government, the once middle-of-the-road news network Al Jazeera ended its operations in Israel. Based in Qatar, the network was seen by many as a voice for the non-Israeli; to others, they were a mouthpiece for the rhetoric coming from Hamas. In a statement following the news, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office “explained” the decision.
“The Government, today, unanimously approved the closure of Al Jazeera according to the proposal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi…Al Jazeera correspondents have harmed the security of Israel and incited against IDF soldiers. The time has come to eject Hamas’s mouthpiece from our country.”
Under these orders, any Israel-based office for a foreign media network that was “acting against the state” would be closed immediately. As a punishment for speaking out against the state, they would have their broadcast equipment ceased, and they would prevent any attempts to broadcast from the station’s journalists. Not just stopping there, officials vowed to remove Al Jazeera from cable and satellite offerings in the state, and the website was now officially blocked. Footage from Khari showed officials raiding the offices and taking the equipment.
A decision like this is not the type of freedom the American people stand for. We all know what Hamas did to the people of Israel, and we know about the Islamic playbook tactics they have run since the invasion began. Yet freedom of the press is something we Americans believe to our very core. No matter how much or how little we agree with what is being advocated for in the press, we know how important freedom of speech is and how necessary trusted reporting can be.
Israel might be a land for the Jewish people, but it also has a sizable Muslim and Christian population. Populations that have a connection with Al Jazeera. Taking away that voice under the guise of punishing Hamas is horrible. All it does is take away choices in media and silence the voice of those who aren’t buying Israel’s narrative at face value.
