Press freedom groups and human rights activists have condemned the Israeli military's forced closure of Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, calling it an attack on journalism.
Early on Sunday morning, Israeli soldiers raided the Qatar-based network's office and ordered it closed for 45 days.
The raid, captured live on television, showed heavily armed Israeli troops handing an Israeli military court order to Al Jazeera's bureau chief, Walid al-Omari, informing him of the closure.
Al-Omari later said the court order accused Al Jazeera of “inciting and supporting terrorism” and that Israeli soldiers confiscated the agency’s cameras before leaving.
“Attacking journalists in this way is intended to erase the truth and prevent people from hearing the truth,” he said.
During the raid, Israeli soldiers also tore down posters of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh that were displayed on the walls of the office, al-Omari said.
The raid on the Ramallah office came five months after Israel shut down the news channel's operations in occupied East Jerusalem and removed it from cable providers.
'Relentless attack'
In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists said it was “deeply alarmed” by the Israeli raid, just months after Israel shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel after deeming it a threat to national security.
“Israel’s efforts to censor Al Jazeera seriously undermine the public’s right to information about a war that has disrupted so many lives in the region,” he said.
“Al Jazeera journalists must be able to report at this critical moment, and always.”
In a brief statement on X, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it “denounces Israel’s relentless attack” on Al Jazeera. RSF had previously called for the repeal of an Israeli law that allows the government to shut down foreign media outlets in Israel, “targeting the Al Jazeera channel.”
No witnesses allowed.
— Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (@FranceskAlbs) September 22, 2024
The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate has denounced Israel's “arbitrary military decision,” calling it “a new attack on journalistic work and the media.”
“We call on entities and institutions concerned about the rights of journalists to condemn this decision and stop its implementation,” the group said.
The Palestinian Authority has called the Israeli operation against Al Jazeera in Ramallah a “flagrant violation” of press freedom.
'An affront to press freedom'
Al Jazeera has been providing extensive coverage of Israel's nearly year-long military offensive in Gaza and a parallel surge in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Four Al Jazeera journalists have been killed since the war in Gaza began, and the network's office in the besieged territory was bombed. A total of 173 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October last year. Israel says it does not target journalists.
Qatari government-funded Al Jazeera has also rejected accusations that it harms Israel's security, calling them a “dangerous and ridiculous lie” that puts its journalists at risk.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi justified the closure of Al Jazeera's office on Sunday, calling the network “the mouthpiece” of Hamas in Gaza and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“We will continue to fight against enemy channels and ensure the safety of our heroic fighters,” he said.
However, in a statement, Al Jazeera said it “strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act by the Israeli occupation forces.”
“Al Jazeera rejects the draconian actions and baseless accusations put forward by the Israeli authorities to justify these illegal raids,” it said.
“The raid on our offices and the confiscation of our equipment is not only an attack on Al Jazeera but an affront to press freedom and the very principles of journalism.”
'A major attack in the West Bank'
Rami Khouri, a Middle East expert at the American University of Beirut, said the closure of Al Jazeera's Ramallah office was in line with Israel's policy since 1948, “which is to prevent real news about the Palestinians.”
“That will likely mean that there will be an even greater onslaught… of Israeli violence across the West Bank. And the main instrument for informing the world about what Israel is doing will not be available to do so,” he said.
Mouin Rabbani, a non-resident fellow at the Center for Humanitarian and Conflict Studies, said the decision to close Al Jazeera's Ramallah bureau shows that Israel “clearly has something very serious to hide.”
“In this particular case, if you don't like the genocide being exposed in the context of an illegal occupation, you kill the messenger.”
