Israel Shuts Down Al Jazeera, Raids Jerusalem Office

    Israel Shuts Down Al Jazeera, Raids Jerusalem Office
    Image copyright: Spencer Platt/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

    The Facts

    • Israeli police shut down the Al Jazeera channel on Sunday over alleged national security concerns. Access to the platform's online content was also restricted.

    • The seized Al Jazeera broadcasting equipment includes cameras, microphones, servers, laptops, and mobile phones.


    The Spin

    Pro-Israel narrative

    Al Jazeera has been glorifying Hamas and supporting anti-Israeli activities, including terrorism and incitement. Shutting it down is, therefore, justified on national security grounds. The network has promoted antisemitism and radical ideologies. It was necessary to pull it off air to counter its dangerous influence and propaganda.

    Pro-Palestine narrative

    Al Jazeera's shutting down curtails freedom of information, affecting viewers in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and global audiences. The network has provided crucial coverage of significant events. The network's Gaza journalists face huge risks under the new labeling as a supposed "threat" to Israeli national security.

    Nerd narrative

    There's a 50% chance that there will be at least 50K Palestinian civilian deaths in the Israel-Gaza conflict before July 1, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


    Establishment split

    CRITICAL

    PRO

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