Israeli Forces Storm Al Jazeera Office in Ramallah, West Bank

The Qatari Al Jazeera channel announced that Israeli ⁤forces stormed its office in ​Ramallah in the occupied⁤ West Bank and closed it for 45 days in accordance with a‌ military order.

Last week, the ⁢Israeli government ‌revoked the accreditation cards of ⁤Al Jazeera journalists, four months after banning​ the channel from ​operating inside Tel Aviv.

Al Jazeera Office Closure

The channel reported that an ‌Israeli official informed its office director Walid al-Omari of “the judicial decision⁣ to close‌ the Al-Jazeera office for 45 ⁢days.” The conversation is also broadcast live.

“I’m asking you to ​take all the cameras ⁢and leave the office right now,” the officer ⁣said, according to what the⁣ footage shows, as heavily armed Israeli soldiers wearing masks entered the office.

The channel indicated that no​ justification was given for the closure order.

Al Jazeera’s Response

Al-Omari ‌indicated that the closure decision accused the channel of “incitement to‌ support⁣ terrorism,” according to Al-Jazeera.

“Targeting journalists like this is always aimed at erasing the truth and preventing people‌ from hearing the truth,” he added.

Background​ of the⁣ Dispute

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is locked in a long-running dispute with Al Jazeera, which has worsened​ since the outbreak of⁢ war ​in Gaza on October 7.

The Israeli military has repeatedly accused the network’s correspondents in Gaza of being “terrorist ⁤agents” linked to ⁣Hamas or the Islamic Jihad movement, Agence France-Presse reported. But Al Jazeera denies ⁢the Israeli⁢ government’s accusations ⁣and considers that Israel‍ is ‌systematically targeting its workers in the Gaza​ Strip.

Condemnation of the Office Storming

Gaza’s‍ official media office condemned the storming of Al Jazeera’s offices, calling it a “discussed‌ scandal and a⁢ clear violation of press freedom”.

Israeli Law Allowing Foreign Media Outlet Ban

In early April, the Israeli Knesset approved a law allowing the banning of⁤ foreign media outlets that harm state security.

Accordingly, ​on May⁢ 5,‌ the Israeli government approved a decision to bar Al Jazeera from broadcasting from Israel and to close its offices for ‍45 days, subject to renewal. It was extended for​ the fourth time by a ‍court in Tel ​Aviv last‍ week. ⁢However, ⁤the ⁣decision⁢ did not⁤ affect the channel’s ‍broadcasts from the‌ West ⁣Bank or Gaza Strip, where it is still covering‍ more than 11 months of ⁢ongoing⁤ war.

Al ‍Jazeera Correspondent’s Reaction

Al Jazeera correspondent Nida ​Ibrahim said the closure of the channel’s offices in the West Bank was “not surprising” after a previous ban‌ on reporting inside Israel.

He added: “We heard Israeli officials‍ threaten to close the office… but‍ we didn’t expect ​that today.”

Employees Prevented from Covering the Office‌ Raid

Another Al Jazeera journalist said employees were prevented from covering the office ⁣raid, with their cameras ‍confiscated.

Al Jazeera’s Statement

In ⁢May, the network described the ban imposed ‌on it as “criminal”⁣ because ‌of its coverage of the Gaza ⁢war.

In a statement, ​it⁤ “condemned Israel’s criminal actions that violate the human right of ‍access to ​information.”