What is Al Jazeera, why Israel banned it, and why does the United States care?

“I wish to act immediately to prohibit the Qatari channel Al Jazeera from broadcasting in Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday, approving the law that allows it to do so.

The new law, approved by 70 votes in favor and 10 against, also allows for the prohibition of the dissemination of content from the Qatari network and the closure of its offices in Israel.

Here we leave you the key points so that you understand this news from all its angles.

What is Al Jazeera?

Al Jazeera is an international subscription television channel founded in 1996 by the Government of Qatar. Originally with a free signal and supported by the Government of the Qatari Royal Family, the station little by little began to charge for its services and became economically independent, as intended since its creation.

It is considered the main news channel in the Arab world and one of the most important in the world with an audience of more than 270 million homes. Its name translates as “the peninsula”, alluding to the peninsula of Qatar and its phonetic pronunciation in Spanish al Yasira.

Why is it considered the first independent news channel in the Arab world?

According to Al Jazeera: “until then (1996), media in the Arab world was characterized by state-controlled narratives that denied the public the right to know and the right to be heard.”

From his perspective, “Al Jazeera pioneered a new paradigm of in-depth journalism that was relevant to its audience, giving them a broad and deep perspective on regional and international affairs under the founding motto: 'The opinion and the other opinion'” .

What is Al Jazeera's coverage in the world?

Al Jazeera Media Network is headquartered in Qatar and has more than 70 offices worldwide and more than 3,000 employees from more than 95 countries.

Al Jazeera has a wide reach around the world and is available in more than 150 countries and territories in more than 430 million homes.

Who finances the Qatari channel?

Although Al Jazeera is considered an independent news organization, it is funded in part by the government of Qatar.

The chairman of its board of directors is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, who is considered one of the most influential actors in the world of Arab media.

After working in various positions in Qatar's Ministry of Information and Culture, Sheikh Hamad – a journalism graduate from Qatar University – was tasked with founding the project that eventually produced Al Jazeera in November 1996.

For his part, Ahmad Alyafei has been the General Director of the Al Jazeera Channel (Arabic) since 2018.

Ahmad is credited with leading the digital transformation in news production to serve the channel's main business areas.

What is Netanyahu accusing Al Jazeera of?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Al Jazeera of being “a Hamas propaganda organ and of having actively participated in the October 7 massacre.”

In January, Israel charged an Al Jazeera journalist and a freelancekilled in a bombing in Gaza, of being “terrorist agents.”

He also claimed that another journalist from the Qatari network, who was injured in an attack, was a Hamas “deputy company commander.”

In context:

What does the Qatari channel say about Israel's accusations?

Al Jazeera denies the allegations and claims that Israel systematically attacks its employees in the Gaza Strip. Its Gaza bureau chief, Wael al Dahdouh, was injured in an Israeli bombing in December, killing the network's cameraman.

“Slander and accusations will not deter Al Jazeera from continuing its coverage in a bold and professional manner…

The Qatari channel accused Israel of attacking press freedom and showed its commitment to coverage despite “the slander.” “Slander and accusations will not deter Al Jazeera from continuing to report boldly and professionally, and we reserve all of our legal rights,” the network said in a statement. He held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “responsible for the security of its equipment and facilities throughout the area.”

Regarding Netanyahu's statements, the television defined them as “dangerous and ridiculous lies.” Likewise, Al Jazeera added that “Netanyahu has no justification for his continued attacks against the Qatari media and press freedom except lies and slander,” which he considered “part of a series of systematic Israeli violations to silence Al Jazeera.”

What is the law approved by Israel against the transmission of a television channel?

This law grants the Minister of Communications the power to order “content providers”, for a renewable period of 45 days, the end of its broadcast from the country; in addition to the closure of its offices, the confiscation of its equipment and the blocking of its website server.

Why is the United States concerned about the decision?

The White House said Monday that it is concerned about Israeli measures to ban the Qatari news channel Al Jazeera from broadcasting in the country.

(The closure of Al Jazeera) contributes to a climate of self-censorship and hostility toward the press, a trend that has escalated since the war between Israel and Gaza began.

“An action like this is worrying. We believe in freedom and the United States supports the critically important work that journalists do around the world and that includes those who report on the conflict in Gaza,” he noted at the daily press conference. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.

The spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric, said that the closure of Al Jazeera, if it comes to fruition, “is worrying” because “any limitation on the right of journalists to work from anywhere in the world is of great concern.”

Along these lines, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) noted that this law is “a significant threat to international media in the country,” which “contributes to a climate of self-censorship and hostility toward the press, a trend that has escalated since the war between Israel and Gaza began.

Is this the first time that a Middle Eastern country has gone against the Qatar canal?

No. Saudi Arabia, a country that competes with Qatar for regional influence, along with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, asked Qatar in 2017 to close its television channel, Al Jazeera, among other demands in the midst of what is considered one of the worst political crises among the Gulf countries in decades.

The disagreement arose after Qatar was accused of having funds from both public and private origin go to armed groups in most of the Gulf countries for years for what they considered direct support for “terrorist” groups in Iran's orbit and blocked the small country.

Qatar was repeatedly criticized in many capitals for allegedly backing the Al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, previously known as the al-Nusra Front and one of the most powerful jihadist groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria.

In that sense, the Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia's close ally, Egypt, They have long accused Al Jazeera of providing a platform for Islamist movements and fueling disagreementsaccusations that the chain denies.

Notably, according to the BBC, other Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, also fund hardline Islamist fighters.

How does it add to the story that a member of the Qatari royal family invested 50 million in a pro-Trump channel?

This week it became known that a member of the Qatari royal family invested $50 million in 2019 in Newsmax, a conservative American television channel close to former president and Republican candidate for the White House, Donald Trump.

The information, initially published by Washington Postwas confirmed by both Newsmax and the London-based investment fund Heritage Advisors, owned by the Qatari investor.

This investor is Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani, a former senior official in the Qatari government and member of the royal family.

The investment came at
a key moment for both Qatar, which was experiencing diplomatic tensions with its neighbors, and for Newsmax, which was seeking to increase its potential to compete with Fox News, the country's main conservative media.

At that time, Qatar was under a blockade by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

What position did Trump take in the crisis at that time?

Although then-President Donald Trump initially aligned himself with Saudi Arabia, the United States ended up being key to sealing an agreement between the two sides that ended the crisis in the first days of 2021.

Newsmax workers and former workers – cited by Washington Post– indicated that the channel ordered after the investment to moderate the tone of the information regarding Qatar, while Newsmax denied that there were indications in that regard.

For its part, the London law firm Schillings, which represents Heritage Advisors, indicated in a statement that the member of the Qatari royal family simply “saw potential for the investment to be profitable” and that, therefore, he decided to make the decision. to close the questioned business.

STEPHANY ECHAVARRÍA – INTERNATIONAL EDITOR – EL TIEMPO