Israel Raids and Closes Al Jazeera Bureau in Ramallah, West Bank

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israeli forces conducted a raid on the offices of the news network Al Jazeera in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Sunday. They ordered the bureau to close for an extended period, underscoring an escalating effort by Israel to limit the broadcaster’s activity amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Footage aired by Al Jazeera on its Arabic channel captured the moment when Israeli troops mandated the office’s closure for 45 days. This action follows a significant incident in May, where Israeli police raided Al Jazeera’s broadcast facility in East Jerusalem, seizing vital equipment and curtailing its ability to broadcast within Israel.

This recent event marks a notable first, as Israel has never before shut down a foreign news outlet operating in the country. Despite this, Al Jazeera has continued to function in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories that Palestinians aspire to include in their future state.

Israeli forces have yet to publicly acknowledge the shutdown. The military did not provide a direct response to inquiries from The Associated Press. Al Jazeera condemned the military’s actions while continuing to provide live updates from Amman, Jordan.

During the raid, armed soldiers entered the Al Jazeera office and announced to a reporter on air that the operation would be suspended for 45 days, insisting that all staff vacate the premises. The coverage included scenes of Israeli troops removing a campaign banner that featured Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist who was killed by Israeli forces in May 2022.

“There is a court ruling for closing down Al Jazeera for 45 days,” one Israeli soldier informed Walid al-Omari, the station’s local bureau chief, while being broadcast live. “I ask you to take all the cameras and leave the office at this moment.”

In the aftermath, al-Omari reported that Israeli troops began confiscating documents and equipment from the bureau, amidst sounds of tear gas and gunfire nearby.

The Palestinians secured limited self-administration over Gaza and parts of the West Bank following the 1993 Oslo agreements. While Israel maintains control over significant portions of the West Bank, the city of Ramallah is fully under Palestinian governance. This context makes the Israeli raid on the Al Jazeera office particularly noteworthy.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has denounced the raid and the order to close down the office. They characterized the move as “an arbitrary military decision,” which they view as an aggression against journalistic activities and media outlets.

The Palestinian Authority oversees sections of the West Bank but was ejected from Gaza when Hamas took control in 2007, leaving them without influence in that region.

Al Jazeera has been transmitting non-stop news coverage of the ongoing conflict since Hamas initiated its offensive on October 7. The network has maintained a continuous presence in Gaza amidst heavy Israeli military operations that have reportedly resulted in casualties among its staff members. It remains uncertain whether Israeli forces will extend their actions against Al Jazeera’s operations in Gaza.

The Arabic division of Al Jazeera frequently relays on-the-ground reports detailing the conflict’s toll while also airing statements from Hamas and other militant groups, which have drawn criticisms from Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They allege that the network has undermined Israel’s security and incited violence against soldiers. Al Jazeera has firmly rejected these allegations, while its major backer, Qatar, plays a pivotal role in mediating talks between Israel and Hamas to broker a cease-fire.

The legal order closing Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel has been recurrently extended, yet the Ramallah office had not previously been targeted until now.

The ongoing war erupted following a Hamas-led raid that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals, mainly civilians, on October 7, along with the kidnapping of around 250 individuals, with about 100 still held as hostages. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that Israel’s military campaign has led to over 41,000 Palestinian deaths, without distinguishing between combatants and civilian casualties.

This latest raid on Al Jazeera’s office occurs amidst heightened tensions regarding a potential escalation of the conflict into Lebanon, particularly following recent explosions attributed to efforts by Israel against the Hezbollah militia. These explosions last week resulted in the death of at least 37 individuals, including two children, and injured about 3,000 others.