Israel protests Al Jazeera's Palestine coverage after network fends off cyber attacks

Israel protests Al Jazeera's Palestine coverage after network fends off cyber attacks
Israeli authorities reportedly wrote to 'the Qataris' to protest what it described as Al Jazeera's 'biased coverage' towards Palestinians during the last month's 11-day bombing of Gaza.
2 min read
11 June, 2021
Discussions on revoking reporting rights of Al Jazeera journalists in Israel are reportedly now taking place [Getty - file photo]

Israel has protested Al Jazeera's coverage of last month's 11-day assault on the Gaza Strip, accusing it of being biased towards Palestinians, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

The claim, which included few details, comes after the Doha-based media network was targeted by a series of disruptive cyber attacks against its services, the majority of which occurred prior to the airing of a documentary detailing indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

On Wednesday, The New Arab's sister-site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also reported cyber attacks on its services.

In a report published by Kan on Thursday which accompanied an interview with Gal Beger,  Kan's correspondent for Palestinian affairs, it was alleged that Israeli authorities wrote to "the Qataris" to protest what it described as Al Jazeera's "biased coverage" towards Palestinians during Israel's bombing of Gaza.

The piece accused Al Jazeera of being sympathetic towards Hamas, the Islamist group which controls the coastal strip.  

Israel's complaint follows the recent arrest of an Al Jazeera reporter by Israeli forces in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem, the epicentre of Israel’s violent escalation against the Palestinians in May.

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Givara Al-Budeiri was detained on Saturday after Israeli forces attacked her crew who were reporting a sit-in at Sheikh Jarrah, where dozens of Palestinians families face the threat of expulsion from their homes to make way for Jewish settlers. Al-Budeiri was briefly hospitalised for an injury she sustained during the arrest.

Discussions on revoking reporting rights of Al Jazeera journalists in Israel are now taking place, according to Nitzan Chen, the director of Israel’s Government Press Office, who was quoted by Makor Rishon, a right-wing religious Zionist newspaper.   

Aljazeera did not immediately respond to The New Arab’s request for comment.

During Israel's bombardment on Gaza, the Jewish state also destroyed a tower block housing Al Jazeera, The Associated Press and other international media outlets.