Israeli forces stormed and closed the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television office in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday (22/9), in what they called an arbitrary military action.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli authorities ordered staff to leave the premises before closing the office. This comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with increased scrutiny of media organizations covering Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
Israeli forces seized documents and equipment from Al Jazeera’s offices, Wafa said. The military also imposed a 45-day ban on the channel’s operations in the region, citing security concerns.
“A large Israeli force stormed the Al Jazeera office, broke down the outer door, and gave us an order to close it for 45 days,” Al Jazeera’s bureau director in the Palestinian territories, Walid Al-Omari, was quoted as saying by Anadolu on Monday (23/9).
Omari said Israeli soldiers tore down a picture of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli gunfire in Jenin on May 11, 2022. He called the closure of the office a “violation of press freedom” and a continuation of Al Jazeera’s ban on operating in Jerusalem and Israel since 5 May.
“They prevented us from approaching the office and told us that all the equipment inside would be confiscated,” he added.
Read also: Greta Thunberg Urges End to Genocide in Gaza
Footage broadcast by Al Jazeera showed Israeli forces entering the office and handing over military orders to Omari. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel’s closure of the Al Jazeera office as a flagrant violation of international law.
In a statement, the ministry called for the swift implementation of a recent UN General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the Israeli occupation.
The UN General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution calling for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories within 12 months. The ministry warned that the silence of the international community was emboldening Israel’s right-wing government to commit further violations and crimes.
Read also: Nearly 1,000 Medical Workers Killed in Gaza
The Palestinian Journalists Union condemned the Israeli raid and closure of the office, calling it a new attack on journalism and media freedom. The syndicate urged international organizations and institutions that fight for the rights and safety of journalists to take immediate action to condemn the Israeli decision and ensure that it is reversed.
The syndicate also expressed solidarity with Al Jazeera and its journalists, offering its headquarters and resources to help the network’s staff during the forced shutdown. On May 5, the Israeli government decided to ban Al Jazeera, closing its offices in Israel and restricting access to its website under a law passed by the Knesset (parliament) that allows the communications minister to shut down foreign networks operating in Israel and seize their equipment if the country’s defense minister identifies that their broadcasts pose a real danger to state security.
Despite the ban, the office’s staff continued to operate from Ramallah, prompting the Israel Press Agency, which is affiliated with the Prime Minister’s office, to revoke its reporters’ accreditation on September 12. Israeli officials have frequently criticized the Qatar-based television station, particularly for its extensive coverage of Israel’s brutal assault on the Gaza Strip.
Israel has continued its deadly assault on Gaza following a cross-border offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. Nearly 41,400 people, mostly women and children, have been killed and more than 95,700 injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli offensive has displaced nearly the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to shortages of food, clean water and medicine. Israel faces genocide charges at the International Court of Justice over its actions in Gaza. (I-2)
#Covering #Gaza #Savagery #Israel #Shuts #Jazeera
