I know my colleagues who were working out of occupied East Jerusalem have now stopped working out of there, and both Arabic and English channels have stopped broadcasting from there.

The reason that those of us here in Ramallah and Gaza are still operating is because this is the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Cabinet decision applies in Israel and Israel’s domestic territory. To close Al Jazeera’s operations in this part of the occupied West Bank, a military order from the governor would be required.

That hasn’t come yet. The network might be looking at some legal appeal, but it’s a 45-day closure for now.

It could be extended again, but it gives the Israeli authorities the right to seize Al Jazeera’s broadcasting equipment and cut the channel from cable and satellite broadcasters.

We know that’s already happened in the last couple of hours in Israel; any operators that have been broadcasting Al Jazeera English or Arabic now have a sign on their screens saying they’re no longer allowed to transmit and receive Al Jazeera.

Source:Bernard Smith – Al Jazeera

Foreign Press Association slams decision to ban Al Jazeera: ;A dark day for the media’

The Foreign Press Association, which represents foreign media in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, condemns the decision to shutter the Al Jazeera news network’s operations in Israel, warning that it should be a “cause for concern for all supporters of a free press.”

• “With this decision, Israel joins a dubious club of authoritarian governments to ban the station. And the government may not be done. The prime minister has the authority to target other foreign media that he deems to be ‘acting against the state,’” the FPA says in a statement.
• “We urge the government to reverse this harmful step and uphold its commitment to freedom of the press — including outlets whose coverage it may not like,” the organization adds. “This is a dark day for the media. This is a dark day for democracy.”

Source: TOI