Al Jazeera controversies and criticism Al Jazeera of bias. Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Majalli Wahabi accused the Qatari-owned station of focusing exclusively on Palestinian suffering, and ignoring Israeli suffering, referring to the Israeli residents of Western Negev, who have been the target of rocket attacks by Gaza in recent years. "We have seen that Al-Jazeera has become part of Hamas . . . taking sides and cooperating with people who are enemies of the state of Israel," said Wahabi, a Druze Arab. "The moment a station like Al-Jazeera gives unreliable reports, represents only one side, and doesn't present the positions of the other side, why
Al Jazeera America at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on that date, with an hour-long preview special entitled "This is Al Jazeera". News coverage began immediately afterward at 4:00 p.m. Al Jazeera America's website launched on August 8, 2013. On January 14, 2016, the Al Jazeera Media Network announced that it would shut down Al Jazeera America's cable TV and digital operations on April 30, 2016, citing plummeting oil prices and the highly competitive nature of the American media market. It was also reported that this closure would lead to the loss of about 700 jobs. During its two-year history, Al Jazeera America won