Al Jazeera Remains a Leopard That Can’t Change Its Spots

Excerpt

Word on the street is that Al Jazeera is softening its tone. According to Amit Segal, Al Jazeera’s Qatari owners are supposedly “carrying out a purge” as “part of an understanding” with Washington to “reduce the amount of incitement” that the channel creates. An unnamed intelligence official told the Israeli journalist that “Hamas is very unhappy with the changes at Al Jazeera” and even had “an apology” call with the network.

The timing of the alleged shift is unlikely coincidence. Ever since Israel’s strike against Hamas operatives in Doha on September 9, the Trump administration has worked to defuse tensions between Israel and Qatar and bring the Gaza war to a close. There was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology to Qatar’s emir. Then, President Trump’s executive order declaring that the United States will consider any attack on Qatar “to be a threat to the peace and security of the United States.” Israel and Qatar also agreed to “a trilateral mechanism” with the United States to strengthen communication and resolve future differences. Understood in this context, the supposed “understanding” about Al Jazeera was likely another piece of choreography to push Trump’s Gaza plan across the finish line.

Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD.