(JNS.org) Al Jazeera America — the cable news operator that along with its parent company, Al Jazeera, is funded by the government of Qatar — has announced that it will be shutting down its operations by the end of April. The network — which was launched in 2013 after buying former vice president Al Gore’s Current TV for $500 million — has struggled to gain viewers, with an average of only 30,000 people tuning in during its primetime shows. The network has also been beset by internal turmoil. Last year, a former employee of Al Jazeera America launched a $15 million lawsuit against the network for alleged sexist, antisemitic, and anti-American policies and remarks by an executive there. Qatar, a U.S. ally, has been scrutinized by the pro-Israel community over its funding of the Palestinian terror group Hamas.