Israel’s Ben Gvir Calls Al Jazeera a “State Threat,” Urges Public to Report Viewers

Watan-On Thursday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir escalated his campaign against Qatar-based Al Jazeera, calling it a “direct threat to national security” and urging Israeli citizens to report anyone watching the channel inside the country.

This comes in the context of a broader crackdown on foreign media. Last year, Israeli authorities shut down Al Jazeera’s offices and confiscated its equipment, citing alleged risks to national security.

Ben Gvir’s statement follows recent raids by Israeli police on residences of foreign media crews in Haifa, including those working for Turkey’s TRT Arabic and the Al-Ghad channel. Equipment was confiscated in operations ordered directly by Ben Gvir, who has also demanded a ban on live broadcasting that could “reveal sensitive locations.”Legal Basis for Media Repression

The Israeli government recently passed a law granting the Prime Minister and Minister of Communications the power to shut down any foreign media outlet deemed a security threat. This law has drawn sharp criticism from local and international press freedom organizations, who see it as a tool of censorship and a threat to independent journalism.

War Context: Iran and Israel

These aggressive media measures are taking place amid escalating military confrontation between Israel and Iran. Tel Aviv, with U.S. support, recently launched wide-scale airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, prompting a retaliatory wave of missile and drone attacks from Iran—marking the most intense escalation between the two states to date.