Israeli troops raided and closed Al Jazeera’s bureau in the West Bank city of Ramallah early Sunday, marking an escalation in Israel’s campaign against the Qatar-funded broadcaster amid its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The pre-dawn operation saw armed Israeli soldiers enter the Al Jazeera office, ordering staff to evacuate immediately. The network aired live footage of troops welding shut the bureau’s doors and tearing down a banner bearing the image of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist killed by Israeli forces in May 2022.
Israeli authorities issued a 45-day closure order for the office, citing laws dating back to the British Mandate of Palestine. The military later claimed, without providing evidence, that the newsroom was “being used to incite terror, to support terrorist activities and that the channel’s broadcasts endanger security and public order.”
Al Jazeera vehemently denied these accusations, denouncing them as “unfounded” and vowing to continue its coverage from other locations. The network’s local bureau chief, Walid al-Omari, expressed surprise at the raid, given that Ramallah is under full Palestinian political and security control.
This action follows a May order that saw Israeli police raid Al Jazeera’s East Jerusalem broadcast position, seizing equipment and blocking its websites in Israel. It marks the first time Israel has shuttered a foreign news outlet operating in the country.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the raid as “a new aggression against journalistic work and media outlets,” while the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry also denounced the action.
Israeli Communication Minister Shlomo Karhi described the raid as targeting “the mouthpiece of Hamas and Hezbollah,” echoing previous claims by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that the network has “harmed Israel’s security and incited against soldiers.”
The closure comes amid rising tensions in the region, with the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and recent explosions in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah’s communication devices.
As international concern grows over press freedom in the region, Al Jazeera continues to broadcast from other locations, including Amman, Jordan, reaffirming its commitment to covering the ongoing conflict despite mounting pressure.
