NETANYAHU BANS AL-JAZEERA SCRIBE FROM ATTENDING EVENT

Jerusalem, Sept. 7: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has banned Al-Jazeera’s Jerusalem bureau chief from attending a seminar about freedom of speech, officials said, the latest move against the broadcaster by the Israeli leader.

The Israeli government press office said on late Wednesday that Mr Netanyahu had demanded Walid Al-Omary be excluded from the conference taking place on Thursday. The event was focused on the limits of freedom of expression.

The press office said Mr Netanyahu reiterated his intention to close AlJazeera in Israel and called for “legal measures to be taken to prevent the accreditation of all AlJazeera journalists.”

In July, Mr Netanyahu announced plans to expel Al-Jazeera after accusing it of incitement. Israel had also announced it would withdraw accreditation of one of the broadcaster’s journalists, Elias Karam, but he has since been given a sixmonth reprieve.

Amnesty International called the Israeli moves a “brazen attack on media freedom.” Al-Jazeera, which is owned by Qatar, has also been banned by the gas-rich Gulf state’s rivals in recent months.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt broke ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of fostering extremism and demanding AlJazeera’s closure. AlJazeera has 80 offices around the world.