In a shocking and heavily armed raid, Israeli soldiers shut down Al Jazeera’s bureau in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, despite being located in an area under Palestinian control. This move, carried out under the pretext of incitement and supporting terrorism, is part of a pattern of targeting Al Jazeera and its journalists by Israel. The closure order accuses Al Jazeera of incitement and supporting “terrorism,” a claim that Khouri disputes, stating that Al Jazeera is essential in informing the world about Israel’s violations in Palestinian territory.
The Al Jazeera team was ordered to leave the bureau, but they were unable to retrieve their equipment, including cameras, amid fears that the soldiers may have also come to destroy the bureau’s archives. Nobody on the team was injured during the raid, but they were threatened with weapons and faced gunshots and tear gas outside the building.
The closure order is for 45 days, but it is expected to be renewed automatically, as has been the case with a previous closure in Israel. The bureau head, al-Omari, is preparing to appeal through the military court system, which operates on a system of “secret evidence” and indefinite detentions.
The Al Jazeera team is left unable to operate from their bureau in Ramallah, with the entrance sealed off. The situation highlights the ongoing challenges faced by journalists in reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the threats to freedom of the press in the region.
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Photo credit www.aljazeera.com
