Israel to Impose Sanctions on Al-Jazeera

After the Gaza slaughter of 2 weeks ago and the expected television coverage given to the Palestinians since they were afterall the victims, Israel is now planning to oust Al Jazeera from the country. Israel is furious that Al Jazeera showed the world what happened in Gaza at Israeli hands. Israel is furious that Al Jazeera spoke to the Gaza Palestinians who Israel regards as sub-human "terrorists" because Israel already declared Gaza as “enemy territory” since Hamas’ take-over several month ago.

Israelis are so full of themselves that they expect the whole world to sympathize with their greedy murderous agendas against innocent Palestinians. Israelis are ‘high’ on Zionist supremacy and can no longer tolerate any dissent.

All Arab media stations covered Gaza, but Israel is out for Al Jazeera because Al Jazeera has an English speaking channel and uploads its material to youtube, thereby exposing the true, ugly and apartheid face of the Jewish nation . Israel isn't used to having its crimes uncovered at such speed and in English. The evening of the Yeshiva massacre, Jewish settlers attacked the Arabic and English Jazeera teams shouting at them "death to the Arabs". They were so violent with them that the Israeli police had to remove the Jazeera people to a safe place. Jazeera is the only Arabic channel that interviews Israelis and gives them all the space they need to speak to the point that Arabs are often offended... but that wasn't enough.

Israelis used to complain that Arab media didn't give them the space or opportunity. Now that they have it, they want to get rid of it. Media is only good enough for Israel as long as it doesn't show its ugly side. It's a little like the issue of "peace". Israel keeps claiming wanting "peace". The moment a peace agreement is ready for signing, you can be sure that something will happen to delay or stop the process. Monica Lewinski will turn up... or there will be an attempt on George Bush Senior’s life etc.. etc.. etc... This is the way it's been for 60 years and this is the way it will go on… because in reality, Israel does not want peace. In reality, peace is an impediment to the Zionist project. “Peace” is just camouflage chatter used to keep the tax-payers and viewers quiet.

Al Jazeera is spoiling that nice sweet innocent picture of the Israeli "victim-state" which was build at the hands of Zionist media during the past 60 years of what was in reality constant violence, oppression, crimes and massacres against the Palestinian and Arab people.

http://www.examiner.com/a-1273833~Israel_to_Impose_Sanctions_on_Al_Jazee...

Israel to Impose Sanctions on Al-Jazeera

Mar 12, 2008 11:22 AM (5 days ago) By MATTI FRIEDMAN, AP
JERUSALEM (Map, News) - Israel said Wednesday it would impose sanctions on the influential Arab satellite network Al-Jazeera, accusing it of slanted coverage favoring the violent Hamas movement.

Majalli Whbee, Israel's deputy foreign minister, said the government would deny visas to the Qatar-based station's employees and Israeli officials would no longer agree to be interviewed by the network. He did not say Israel would strip foreign Al-Jazeera employees currently in Israel of their visas.

"We have seen that that Al-Jazeera has become part of Hamas ... taking sides and cooperating with people who are enemies of the state of Israel," said Whbee, a Druse Arab. "The moment a station like Al-Jazeera gives unreliable reports, represents only one side and doesn't present the positions of the other side, why should we cooperate?"

Israel was especially incensed by the network's coverage of the most recent round of intense violence in Hamas-ruled Gaza, saying it rarely showed Israeli casualties or Palestinian rocket fire. Three Israelis and more than 120 Palestinians were killed, including dozens of civilians, before the fighting subsided earlier this month.

Walid Al Omary, Al-Jazeera's bureau chief in Jerusalem, said Israeli authorities had not informed him of their decision to impose sanctions, and accused Israel of trying to "intimidate Al-Jazeera to influence our coverage."

He denied his station was biased, noting his reporters had also covered a Palestinian shooting attack in Jerusalem last week in which eight Israelis were killed.

"We are not the ones who launch rockets at Israel, and we are not the ones who send F-16s to bomb Gaza," he said.

Israel's Foreign Ministry will send letters of complaint both to the station and to the government of Qatar, Whbee said. Al-Jazeera is largely controlled by Qatar's ruling family.

Although Israel and Qatar have no formal diplomatic relations, Israel allows Al-Jazeera to operate within its borders and grants the station's reporters the same freedoms granted all local and international media.

Stations from other Arab countries that don't recognize Israel, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have crews and reporters in the country, while some Arab and Islamic countries rely on freelance journalists, usually Palestinians or Israeli Arabs. The reporters are accredited by the Israeli government and allowed to cover the news freely.

Israeli media are allowed no similar freedoms in the Arab world.

The moderate Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas, based in the West Bank, has also complained that Al-Jazeera supports its Hamas rivals, who govern Gaza. Pro-Abbas lawmakers have criticized the station for providing Hamas spokesmen with long swaths of airtime while giving only minimal time to moderates.

"Al-Jazeera is not fair," said Majat Abu Baker, a lawmaker from Abbas' Fatah party in the West Bank. "Al-Jazeera has a soul of religion and it foments conflict among the people. They spread the thoughts of radical Islam in the world."

Hamas officials in Gaza have lauded Al-Jazeera's coverage. At a military parade held after the end of the latest round of fighting, senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar publicly thanked the station, and in a speech Wednesday, Ismail Haniyeh, who heads the Hamas government in Gaza, praised two media outlets: Hamas' own TV station and Al-Jazeera.

Haniyeh criticized the Israeli decision.

"Do you want media just speaking only in your language, talking on your behalf and reflecting only your opinions?" he said.