Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Qatar based ‘Al Jazeera’ TV channel for stirring recent violence in Jerusalem and said that he wants to close the offices of the broadcaster in Israel.
“The Al Jazeera channel continues to incite violence around the Temple Mount,” Netanyahu wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday, referring to the Haram al-Sharif compound in Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.
“I have appealed to law enforcement agencies several times to close the Al Jazeera office in Jerusalem,” said Netanyahu. “If this is not possible because of legal interpretation, I am going to seek to have the necessary legislation adopted to expel Al Jazeera from Israel.”
Israel routinely accuse ‘Al Jazeera’ of bias in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Violent protests erupted in the days since new security measures were installed at the holy site.
A tense standoff is still underway between Israel and Muslim worshippers at the Jerusalem holy site despite the removal of metal detectors and other installations there, raising concerns that the situation could deteriorate into major unrest.
The Israeli measures followed an attack that killed two policemen on July 14.
Netanyahu’s remarks come at time when other Gulf states are already boycotting ‘Al Jazeera’.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt broke ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of fostering extremism and later putting forth 13 demands, including Al Jazeera’s closure.
Netanyahu has also sought to improve ties with countries in the region, where it is heavily criticised over its 50-year occupation of Palestinian territory.
Egypt and Jordan are currently the only two Arab countries with peace treaties with Israel.
The Israeli PM has also faced backlash among Israelis for his decision to install the metal detectors after the attack at such an ultra-sensitive site, with many calling it a miscalculation that he was forced to back down from.
Netanyahu frequently criticize the news media, accusing it of seeking to undermine his government.