Foreign Minister Will ‘Work to Prevent’ Al Jazeera from Operating in Israel

As the war between Israel and Gaza escalates, reaching its bloodiest day on Sunday, an Israeli foreign minister has said his government will be working to prevent the Al Jazeera media company from operating within Israel’s borders.

Haaretz diplomatic correspondent Barak Ravid broke the news on Twitter:

BREAKING: FM Lieberman: We will work to prevent Al-Jazeera TV from operating in Israel

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) July 21, 2014

“Qatar has turned into a global problem. Al Jazeera is a central pillar of the propaganda apparatus of Hamas,” Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, referring to the Arab state where Al Jazeera is based, according to the International Business Times.

In March of 2008, Israel imposed sanctions on Al Jazeera, accusing the network of bias during the previous war with Hamas in Gaza. “We have seen that Al-Jazeera has become part of Hamas,” Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Majali Wahbe said at the time, “taking sides and cooperating with people who are enemies of the state of Israel.”

[Photo via Wikimedia Commons]

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