Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said he would work to close the Jerusalem offices of Qatar-based Al-Jazeera, accusing the television news network of inciting recent violence in the city.
Jerusalem is experiencing one of its most tense periods in years as Palestinians protest heightened Israeli security measures near the Temple Mount-Noble Sanctuary compound, one of the city's holiest sites, and the events have been widely reported, including by Al-Jazeera.
"I have instructed [law enforcement] to close Al-Jazeera's Jerusalem office because it promotes violence over Temple Mount," Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page. "If that is not possible according to the current laws, I would work for the passing of necessary legislation at the Knesset to dismiss Al-Jazeera."
Israel has regularly accused Al-Jazeera of bias in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The network did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Netanyahu also did not respond to a request for further comment on the post.
Israeli authorities closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque that is venerated by Muslims and Jews -- who call the site Temple Mount -- and canceled weekly Friday prayers for the first time in nearly five decades, following a deadly shootout July 14.
The mosque was later reopened after Israel installed metal detectors and cameras at its gates.
Muslims worshippers protested the measures in demonstrations and clashes with police that has led to the deaths of 11 people, including eight Palestinians, but Israel refused to remove the detectors, claiming the security measures were similar to procedures used at other holy sites around the world.
Palestinians view the security move as Israel asserting further control over the site, which houses the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
Following international pressure, Israel's security cabinet decided to remove the metal detectors but said a new surveillance system using "smart checks" based on advanced technology would be put in place.
However, Israel removed early Thursday all security measures near the holy site, meeting the demand by Muslim protesters and causing thousands of Palestinians to celebrate in the streets.
Netanyahu heads what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history.
He has frequently criticized the news media, accusing it of seeking to undermine his government.
Al-Jazeera has also faced government censure in neighboring Egypt when in 2014, the Arab state jailed three Al-Jazeera staffers for seven years and closed the network's offices. Two staffers have been released but a third remains imprisoned.
