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From the Liveblog of Thursday, October 26, 2023

Report: Netanyahu delaying move to temporarily shutter Al Jazeera in Israel

26 October 2023, 4:26 pm 1 Edit

Illustrative: An employee of Al Jazeera walks past the channel's logo at its headquarters in Doha, Qatar, in 2006. (AP/ Kamran Jebreili, File)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly delaying the push by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel.

According to the Ynet report, Netanyahu has yet to bring the move for approval in the security cabinet, a move necessary to enact the ban.

The news site suggests that the delay is linked to the ongoing role of Qatar in diplomatic efforts to free the at least 224 hostages being held in Gaza. Al Jazeera is a state-funded Qatari outlet.

But sources involved have denied that is the case, saying the issue is a legal one.

Karhi reportedly sought to enact a sweeping ban against the channel, although Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara demanded that the move be temporary in nature and require approval of the defense minister and the war cabinet as well as immediate judicial review.