Israel’s cabinet under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today decided to suspend Al Jazeera in Israel while the war in Gaza continues, arguing that the Qatari broadcaster poses a threat to national security.

“The challenge network Al Jazeera will be shut down in Israel,” Netanyahu said in a social media post after the cabinet’s unanimous decision.

A government statement said Israel’s communications minister had signed orders for “immediate action”, but at least one lawmaker who supported shutting down the Qatari television network said Al Jazeera could still block the decision in court.

The measure, the announcement states, will include closing Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel, confiscating broadcast equipment, cutting off the network from cable and satellite companies and blocking its websites.

The network is funded by the government of Qatar and is a fierce critic of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, from where it broadcasts 24 hours a day throughout the war. The Israeli statement did not refer to Al Jazeera’s operations in Gaza.

Last month Israel’s parliament approved a law allowing Israel to temporarily shut down foreign television networks deemed to pose a threat to national security.

The head of Al Jazeera in Israel and the Palestinian Territories called the Israeli government’s decision “dangerous” and politically motivated rather than professional sensitivities.

Al Jazeera’s legal team is preparing a response, Walid Omari told Reuters, pending a possible court appeal against the decision.

The law allows Netanyahu and his cabinet to close the network’s offices in Israel for 45 days, which can be renewed, so that it remains in effect until the end of July or until the end of major military operations in Gaza.