Israeli Forces Announce 45-Day Closure of Al Jazeera’s West Bank Office
#Politics & Current Affairs
Israeli Forces Announce 45-Day Closure of Al Jazeera’s West Bank Office
Loveworld / 1 min
September 23, 2024
1 min read
Israeli troops raidz66ed the Al Jazeera offices in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Sunday, ordering the bureau to shut down for 45 days. This action is part of a broader Israeli campaign against the Qatar-funded broadcaster amid its coverage of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Al Jazeera broadcasted live footage of the Israeli troops delivering the shutdown order in Ramallah. This follows a previous incident in May when Israeli police raided Al Jazeera’s position in East Jerusalem, seizing equipment and blocking its broadcasts in Israel.
The Israeli military later claimed, without providing evidence, that the office was being used to incite terror and that its broadcasts endangered security. Al Jazeera condemned the raid as a “criminal act” and rejected the accusations, continuing to report live from Amman, Jordan.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate criticized the Israeli action as an aggression against press freedom. The raid is particularly notable given that Ramallah is under Palestinian control, making the Israeli military’s actions in this context unexpected.
