In an attempt to take down the news channel, Israeli soldiers raided the West Bank offices of Al Jazeera and ordered for it to be closed for 45 days. Al Jazeera itself reported on the incident by writing, “Heavily armed and masked Israeli soldiers raid Al Jazeera bureau in occupied West Bank and deliver 45-day closure order.” This was back on Sunday.
What Exactly Happened?
During the early hours of Sunday, a group of Israeli soldiers entered the Al Jazeera office by force in Ramallah. Once inside, they told the local bureau chief, Walid al-Omari, that he and his staff should evacuate immediately.
Inside the office, the military seized everything from computers to cameras. Al Jazeera broadcast the first minutes of the raid live.
It turns out that they closed the offices because of a “directive of the political echelon.” However, they did not mention who ordered the government to close down the office.
They did give reasons behind the closure, which include that they believe “the offices were being used to incite terror” and “support terrorist activities.” These reasons were given 12 hours after the raid.
Al Jazeera’s Response
The news channel had to fight back against the claims, and that is why they gave a response to the attack. They said that Israel’s allegations were “unfounded” and saying it was “an affront to press freedom and the very principles of journalism.”
The reason behind their response is that they believe that Israel doesn’t want Al Jazeera to report on the ground and wants to prevent the reality of life in Gaza from coming into the limelight.
This was not the first time that the Israeli government targeted Al Jazeera. In late July, Israel killed Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera reporter in Gaza, in an airstrike. In 2002, an Israeli soldier shot and killed Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh.
Thus far, it is unknown whether the office is still under occupation by the Israeli military or whether they stepped down.