Israel plans to block Al Jazeera broadcasts and close its local bureau over claims the channel is "supporting terrorism".

Communications minister Ayoub Kara said it would block all the Qatar-based station's Arabic and English channels and remove the press credentials of its journalists.

Mr Kara accused the station of "supporting terrorism" and said cable broadcasters had agreed to his proposal to take it off air, but that closure of the offices would require further legislation.

Al Jazeera reported on its website that it was blocked from attending the news conference where Mr Kara made the announcement.

Mr Kara, of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, said: "Lately, almost all countries in our region determined that Al Jazeera supports terrorism, supports religious radicalisation...


"And when we see that all these countries have determined as fact that Al Jazeera is a tool of the Islamic State, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and we are the only one who have not determined that, then something delusional is happening here."

The news organisation said Mr Netanyahu has been threatening to close its operations in the country, accusing it of inciting violence against Israel.

He wrote on Facebook on 26 July that he wanted Al Jazeera expelled amid tensions over a holy site in Jerusalem.

"The Al-Jazeera channel continues to incite violence around the Temple Mount," he wrote, referring to the holy site which is known to Muslims as Haram al Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

"I have appealed to law enforcement agencies several times to close the Al Jazeera office in Jerusalem... If this is not possible because of legal interpretation, I am going to seek to have the necessary legislation adopted to expel Al Jazeera from Israel."

Jordan and Saudi Arabia have closed Al Jazeera's local offices, while the channel and its sites have been blocked in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain.

Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, condemned Israel's plans.

"Al Jazeera had a big role conveying the Palestinian narrative with a high professionalism," said spokesman Hazem Qassem.

New York-based group The Committee to Protect Journalists also criticised the move, which it called "undemocratic".

It said it would "put Israel firmly in the camp of some of the region's worst enemies of press freedom".