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The Israeli authorities have been putting pressure on the local operations of the network, saying its coverage threatens national security.
- Sept. 22, 2024, 4:55 a.m. ET
The Israeli military raided the office of the influential Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday and ordered its closure for 45 days, the latest move in Israel’s effort to clamp down on the channel.
The raid illustrated that Israeli authorities were prepared to take far-reaching action to undermine the channel, which is based in Qatar and has provided extensive coverage of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
In the early hours of Sunday, a group of Israeli soldiers forcibly entered Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah and told Walid al-Omari, the local bureau chief, that he and his staff should leave immediately.
When Mr. al-Omari asked why the Israeli forces were closing the office, one of the soldiers told him to contact the commander of the Israeli military in the West Bank for more details. Al Jazeera broadcast the initial minutes of the raid live.
Military documents shared with reporters by Mr. al-Omari and reviewed by The New York Times showed that the soldiers had seized dozens of items from the office, including computers and cameras.
The Israeli military did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In May, Israeli security forces raided Al Jazeera’s office in Nazareth and a hotel room used by the network in East Jerusalem after the government voted to shut down the Qatari-funded channel’s operations in Israel, under a new law that provides the authorities with tools to crack down on foreign news organizations. At the time, it was unclear if the decision would extend into the West Bank.
Earlier this month, Israel’s government press office said it was revoking official credentials from Al Jazeera reporters working in Israel.
Under the new law, if the prime minister deems that a foreign news outlet is “concretely” undermining Israel’s national security, the government can temporarily close its offices, confiscate its equipment, remove it from Israeli cable and satellite television providers and block access to its online content that is hosted on servers in Israel or owned by Israeli entities.
Press freedom advocates have decried Israel’s actions against Al Jazeera, saying they have set a worrying precedent for international news outlets working in Israel. They have demanded that Israel permit Al Jazeera and other media organizations to carry out their work freely.
In Israel, Al Jazeera’s Arabic-language coverage has frequently come under criticism for amplifying the perspective of Hamas during the war in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have called the network a “mouthpiece” for Hamas, which led the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel that set off the war. That day, Al Jazeera repeatedly reported on statements from Hamas officials calling for a violent uprising in the occupied West Bank.
Al Jazeera has said that Israel’s decision to shutter its operations in the country violated “the basic right to access of information.”
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs. More about Adam Rasgon
