Israel shuts down Al Jazeera bureau over terrorism allegations

Main information

• Israeli forces raided Al Jazeera’s Ramallah office and closed it for 45 days.
• The channel has been accused of “incitement and support for terrorism” by the Israeli military order.
• Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi called Al Jazeera a “mouthpiece” of Hamas and Hezbollah.

Early Sunday morning, Israeli forces raided the Al Jazeera news bureau in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Troops entered the bureau with guns drawn and presented a military order to bureau chief Walid al-Omari, requiring him to immediately close the bureau for 45 days. According to Al Jazeera, the order accused the network of “incitement and support for terrorism.” During the raid, Israeli soldiers confiscated the bureau’s cameras before leaving.

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi confirmed the closure, calling Al Jazeera a “mouthpiece” of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He said Israel would continue to fight what it saw as enemy channels and ensure the safety of its troops.

International reactions

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate strongly condemned the Israeli action, denouncing it as “a new violation against journalistic and media work” that has documented the occupation’s alleged crimes against Palestinians.

The latest incident follows the Israeli government’s decision in May to ban Al Jazeera from operating in Israel, citing national security concerns. An Israeli court authorized the ban and raided a Jerusalem hotel used by the network as an office. Al Jazeera maintains that it has no affiliation with militant groups and has provided on-the-ground coverage of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.

Background and context

The press channel, funded by the Qatari government, has consistently denied accusations that its broadcasts threaten Israel’s security, calling them “dangerous and ridiculous lies” that put its journalists at risk. Al Jazeera claims that Israeli authorities have deliberately targeted and killed several of its journalists, including Samer Abu Daqqa and Hamza AlDahdooh, both killed in Gaza during the conflict. Israel maintains that it does not intentionally target journalists.

Qatar established Al Jazeera in 1996 to strengthen its global presence. Qatar has participated, alongside Egypt and the United States, in mediating ceasefire negotiations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.