The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemned the Israeli government’s announcement that it plans to revoke media credentials of Al Jazeera journalists, close the Qatar-based network’s office in Jerusalem and pull its broadcasts from local cable and satellite providers.

Communications Minister Ayoub Kara said yesterday that the moves were aimed at bolstering Israel’s security and “to bring a situation that channels based in Israel will report objectively”.

Israeli officials said a legal process would be necessary to implement the plan, although Kara did not set a specific date for its implementation.

IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications Steven M. Ellis called on the Israeli government to abandon the move.

“The Israeli government’s plan to censor a global media network is outrageous and unacceptable, and should be rejected by anyone who values the right to share and receive information or opinions the government doesn’t necessarily like,” he said. “Sadly, however, it’s not unprecedented: many of the most egregious human rights violators in the region already have taken these steps. If Israel wants to be seen as the standard-bearer for democracy in the Middle East, it needs to keep better company and to act like it.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Al Jazeera of inciting violence during coverage of recent protests over entry to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The protests erupted after Israel installed metal detectors in the wake of the killing of Israeli police officers guarding the site by Arab-Israeli gunmen.

Al Jazeera, in a statement issued yesterday, denounced the Israeli government’s decision, pointing out that the action was identical to measures carried out in recent months by Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan.

All of those countries, save Jordan, had joined a 13-point list of demands calling on Qatar to shutter Al Jazeera in order to end an ongoing diplomatic standoff. The bloc dropped many of those demands last month, including the closure demand, and instead urged Qatar to commit to six principles on countering extremism and agree to a plan to implement them.

Al Jazeera also argued that Kara, during his press conference, “could not substantiate his comments by referring to a single news bulletin or situation that proved Al Jazeera had not been professional nor objective during its coverage in Jerusalem”.

The network stressed that it would take legal measures to fight the proposed measure and it reiterated its commitment to cover news and events in the region “in a professional and objective manner”.