JERUSALEM: Israel said on Wednesday it is boycotting Al-Jazeera television in protest at the pan-Arab channel s coverage of events in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
We have discussed this problem and I have decided that we will boycott this channel as its partial coverage is not credible and is damaging to us, Deputy Foreign Minister Majali Wahbe told army radio.
Al-Jazeera reports only half the story and helps terrorists.
Israeli officials will no longer give interviews to the channel and a letter of protest will be sent to Al-Jazeera management within a matter of days, he said.
A senior foreign ministry official told AFP that Israel s ire was in particular sparked by the Qatar-based station s coverage of the sharp escalation of violence around Gaza that erupted on Feb. 27.
During the fighting that took place in Gaza recently … they only showed Gaza, the war in Ashkelon was not a story, the official said, referring to the rocket strikes on the southern Israeli port. I expect all media to show both sides.
Al-Jazeera Cairo office wasn’t available for comment when contacted by Daily News Egypt.
Kevin Keenan, associate professor of journalism and mass communication at the American University Cairo, told the Daily News Egypt, “It is hard to imagine that Israel would do such a thing. It seems shortsighted on their part, as Al-Jazeera is not the type of institution to ignore. The notion of Israel ignoring a major global network seems like an ineffective way of going about things.
The upsurge in violence saw more than 130 Palestinians killed in Israeli military strikes on the territory. Five Israelis have also died, including one civilian killed in a barrage of rocket fire from Gaza.
A tenuous calm has held in the area for the past six days amid a tacit agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt fire in order to allow efforts underway in Egypt to reach a more permanent deal ending the violence. -AFP and additional reporting by Daily News Egypt reporter Michaela Singer.
