(Communicated by the Foreign Minister’s Bureau)
Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman met today (Monday 21 July 2104) in Jerusalem with Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Louise Mushikiwabo. During the meeting, FM Liberman stated that "Qatar has become a global problem. It is the economic backbone of the most extreme terrorist groups who aim to destabilize the world in general and the Middle East in particular. Qatar is also a major factor in the current conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Among other things, it finances Hamas and provides refuge to Khaled Mashal. The Al-Jazeera TV media network, which is of course also financed by Qatar, is the mainstay of the Hamas propaganda system.
Al-Jazeera has abandoned even the semblance of a reliable media outlet, and broadcasts, to Gaza and the world, anti-Israeli incitement, lies, provocations and encouragement to terrorists.
We have already commenced an examination of the activity and status of Al-Jazeera, with the intention of preventing it from operating in Israel. .
All the large media networks operate in Israel. Many of them do not broadcast what may be termed Zionist propaganda, on the contrary. As a democratic country, however, we are obliged to permit this. In the case of Al - Jazeera, it is not a matter of communication, but a matter relating to activities of a branch of the terrorist organization that is currently in conflict with Israel. Just as Great Britain would not permit Der Stürmer to establish a television channel to broadcast from London, and the United States would not permit an Al-Quaeda channel to broadcast from New York, so must we act in order to prevent Al-Jazeera from broadcasting from Israel."