Al Jazeera rejected Netanyahu’s criticism at Thursday’s UN General Assembly speech, saying Friday that his rhetoric threatened its journalists’ safety. Netanyahu called it a toxic outlet and accused it of seeking to turn young people against Israel.
Al Jazeera described Netanyahu’s comments as part of what it called Israel’s sustained campaign against the network. It said it had lost journalists and camera operators while they were working, and that some faced campaigns of incitement and vilification before being targeted. More than 270 journalists have been killed in Gaza, including at least 12 who had been reporting for Al Jazeera.
Two years ago, Israel’s cabinet voted to shut down Al Jazeera in the country and ordered its offices closed and broadcasts banned. The vote followed a law passed by the Knesset allowing the government to temporarily close foreign media outlets it deemed a security threat. Al Jazeera said the measures undermine public access to truthful information and independent coverage.
