Through its despicable and pathetic move to close Al Jazeera’s offices, Israel has once again proved that it is a liar, does not believe in democracy, free journalism nor follow the international laws or the orders from the International Court of Justice.It is unfortunate that the world is a mute witness the state of gangsters trying to get away with their unpardonable crimes against humanity while blaming others to hide the failure of their management.As Al Jazeera Media Network stated yesterday, ironically as the world marked World Press Freedom Day, the Israeli government closed Al Jazeera’s offices, preventing the public from accessing its content, disregarding the universally recognised fundamentals of freedom of expression.Israel’s ongoing suppression of the free press, seen as an effort to conceal its actions in the Gaza Strip, stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law. Israel has killed more than 140 Palestinian journalists since the beginning of the war on Gaza.The world has not forgotten that Israeli forces used lethal force without justification when they shot and killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank in May 2022, violating her “right to life”. None other than the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel “concluded on reasonable grounds that Israeli forces used lethal force without justification under international human rights law.”Abu Akleh, a Christian American citizen and acclaimed correspondent for the Doha-based media network, was shot in the head while covering an Israeli military raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The killing of Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin is a direct result of Israel’s militarisation of law enforcement operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” said Navi Pillay, chair of the Commission. “Shireen Abu Akleh is another victim of the excessive and disproportionate force used by Israeli security forces in these operations. This was also an attack against journalists, who were all clearly identifiable, which is a recurring pattern identified by the Commission.Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael al-Dahdouh is a living martyr with numerous members of his family killed by the Israeli military during the ongoing Israel–Hamas war. His wife, seven-year-old daughter, and 15-year-old son were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp on October 28, 2023, in addition to eight of his other relatives.On December 15, 2023, while al-Dahdouh and his cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa were covering the Haifa School airstrike in Khan Younis, they were hit by an Israeli missile, injuring Dahdouh and fatally wounding Abu Daqqa. His son, journalist Hamza al-Dahdouh, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis on January 7 this year, and two of his nephews were killed in an airstrike the following day. Of the more than 34,000 Palestinians killed by Israel in the seven months, the majority are women and children. In its annual report published in January this year, the New York-based Human Rights Watch accused Israel of war crimes and said many governments were expressing “selective outrage” over atrocities committed in the conflict in Gaza. Undoubtedly, the Israeli government’s decision to shut down Al Jazeera in the country is a blatant violation of press freedom and an effort to hide the truth of the Gaza war. The action is a repressive and retaliatory measure against the professional role of Al Jazeera in exposing the crimes and violations in Gaza, and represents the culmination of the declared war against journalists, aimed at concealing the truth. If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet are thinking that they can continue to fool the world by continuing their autocratic and ruthless actions, they should realise that their masks have been torn away long ago. It is high time Israel understood that there is no solution except an immediate ceasefire and negotiations. Silencing the media has never worked in human history, and it never will. The earlier Israel comprehends this, the better for them. The Gulf Times family hereby condemns in the strongest possible terms, the draconian action by Israel, in its desperate attempt to silence Al Jazeera.falmudahka@gulf-times.com