Israel boycotts Al Jazeera, Saudi Arabia drops its boycott

Israel has decided to boycott Al Jazeera following what the government says is biased reporting on the Gaza conflict, or what Israel calls “Operation Warm Winter.” Apparently the official boycott will "include a general refusal by Israeli officials to accept interviews with the station, as well as a ban on Al-Jazeera correspondents from entering government offices in Jerusalem." The pros and cons of such a move for Israel - engagement versus the silent treatment, participation in the dialogue versus refusing to lend validity to the station - are analyzed here. The move
comes on the heels of "a worldwide PR effort... launched in support of Operation Warm Winter... [which] aims to counter worldwide calls to end Israel’s Gaza offensive, as well as to bolster the IDF’s less than stellar international image" and apparently targets "the al-Jazeera Network as its chief adversary in the war for hearts and minds." The Israeli government among other has accused the station of not only being pro-Hamas but even of having ties to the organization; among the accusations leveled at the station is that "Al-Jazeera's coverage of Israel has been problematic since its inception a little more than a decade ago, including accusations by Israeli officials that it directly colluded with Hamas two months ago in exaggerating the fuel shortage situation in Gaza during a staged "black-out" there." But of course, few governments like the rabble-rouser. Israel is only taking the same approach Saudi Arabia has adopted for the past five years. The Kingdom withdrew its ambassador to Qatar and prevented the station from covering the annual haj pilgrimage. The tide appears to be shifting, though, as many have noted the toned-down coverage of Saudi Arabia over the past few months, likely in preparation for the visit this week of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz to the tiny emirate. There are also rumors that the station will be allowed to cover the haj this year.