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Qatari television channel Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces raided its offices in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday and issued a 45-day closure order. An Israeli soldier told bureau chief Walid al-Omari: “There is a court order to close Al Jazeera for 45 days,” the channel reported, citing the conversation that was broadcast live. “I ask you to take all your cameras and leave the office immediately,” the soldier continued.
According to footage from the channel, the soldiers entered wearing masks and heavily armed. Al Jazeera said they did not give a reason for the closure order. Walid al-Omari, however, said the closure order accused Al Jazeera of “inciting and supporting terrorism,” according to his comments reported by the channel. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
“Terrorist agents” affiliated with Hamas or Islamic Jihad
On September 12, the Israeli government announced the revocation of the press cards of several Al Jazeera journalists, four months after banning its broadcast and closing its office in Israel on May 5. To this end, the Israeli parliament adopted a law in early April allowing it to take action against foreign media “undermining state security”. The 45-day closures are renewable and the shutdown of Al Jazeera in Israel was extended for a fourth time by a Tel Aviv court on September 11.
The ban had not previously affected the network’s work in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, where Al Jazeera journalists are present to cover the war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist movement Hamas. The Israeli army has repeatedly accused Qatari journalists in Gaza of being “terrorist agents” affiliated with Hamas or Islamic Jihad, one of its allies.
“Flagrant violation of press freedom”
For its part, Al Jazeera rejects the Israeli accusations and claims that Israel systematically targets its reporters deployed in the Gaza Strip. The closure of the Ramallah bureau “is not a surprise”, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim, quoted by the channel. “We had heard Israeli officials threaten to close the bureau (…) but we did not expect this to happen today,” she said.
The Hamas-run government press office in Gaza on Sunday condemned the Israeli military raid, calling it a “sounding scandal” and a “flagrant violation of press freedom.” In May, Al Jazeera slammed its ban on operating in Israel as a “criminal” decision. “We condemn and denounce Israel’s criminal act that violates the right to access information,” it said in a statement.
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