Arab media giant Al Jazeera said Sunday it would "pursue every legal step" to continue operations in Israel, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet voted to shut down the Qatari-based global outlet until the war in Gaza ends.
Netanyahu, who has long accused Al Jazeera of bias toward Hamas, said the cabinet determined the outlet was a threat to national security.
"Al Jazeera correspondents have harmed the security of Israel and incited against (Israeli) soldiers," Netanyahu said. "The time has come to eject Hamas's mouthpiece from our country."
Al Jazeera rejected those claims as a "dangerous and ridiculous lie" that puts its journalists at risk. The network is funded by the Qatari government, which has been a key mediator in cease-fire talks. Like many media outlets around the world, however, Al Jazeera has been critical of Israel's military operation in Gaza.