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Israeli military forces have launched a raid on the offices of the news broadcaster Al Jazeera in Ramallah, located in the occupied West Bank, and have issued a directive for the facility to close for an initial period of 45 days, raising concerns about press freedom in the region.
Early on Sunday, as a live broadcast was underway, armed Israeli soldiers wearing masks entered the building, creating a chaotic scene for both the crew and the audience.
The audience looked on as armed troops handed the closure order to Walid al-Omari, the chief of the network’s West Bank bureau, who proceeded to read it aloud during the live broadcast.
In a move prompted by concerns over national security, Israel raided Al Jazeera’s offices in Nazareth and occupied East Jerusalem in May, branding the Qatar-based broadcaster as a significant threat.
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“Targeting journalists this way always aims to erase the truth and prevent people from hearing the truth,” Omari said in comments reported by his employer.
As noted by Al Jazeera journalist Mohammad Alsaafin, the soldiers took the last microphone and camera from the street outside and compelled Omari to leave the office.
Posting about the raid on social media, Alsaafin said the troops also pulled down a poster of Shireen Abu Aqla – an Al Jazeera reporter who was killed while covering a raid by Israeli forces in the West Bank.
The network and witnesses at the time said the Palestinian-American reporter was shot by Israeli forces. Israel initially argued she had been shot by a Palestinian, however months later concluded there was a “high probability” that one of its soldiers killed her.
Relations between the Qatari-owned broadcaster and the Israeli government have long been tense but have worsened dramatically following the outbreak of war in Gaza.
With foreign journalists banned from entering the strip, Al Jazeera staff based in the area have been some of the only reporters able to cover the war on the ground.
The Israeli government has repeatedly described Al Jazeera as a terrorist propaganda outlet, a characterization that the network has vigorously denied.
The Israeli parliament, in an April vote, passed a law enabling the government to close foreign broadcasting stations temporarily if they are regarded as threats to national security during periods of conflict.
