The reason: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blames the Arab network for fueling violence on the Temple Mount. For the time being, Israel has settled for withdrawing the accreditation of Al Jazeera journalists in the country. “In times when there are terrorist attacks, the security of the Israeli population is more important than freedom of the press,” Communications Minister Ayoub Kara, who is a Druze, explained. “Freedom of the press does not mean the freedom to incite violence.”

Al Jazeera has long been a thorn in the side of many, including Saudi Arabia and its allies. In its 20 years, Al Jazeera has grown tremendously, and is today watched by hundreds of millions in over 150 countries. Recently, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain decided to close the network’s local bureaus in their countries amidst a diplomatic rift with Qatar.

“This TV channel pursues just one interest, which is to incite wars among the Arab nations,” explained Israeli expert on Islam Mordechai Kedar, in an interview with Al Jazeera. “In 2011, you lit the match that ignited the Arab...