Al Jazeera's headquarters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was stormed by Israeli troops early on Sunday, and as part of a larger campaign against the broadcaster supported by Qatar during the Israel-Hamas conflict, they ordered its closure for 45 days.
For the first time ever, Israel closed a foreign news organization that was based on its land. Al Jazeera broadcast live images of Israeli commandos closing the office on its Arabic-language channel.
This raid comes after a similar incident in May during which Israeli authorities stormed the East Jerusalem broadcast station of Al Jazeera, confiscating equipment and preventing the channel from broadcasting in Israel.
Al Jazeera has not stopped broadcasting in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where Palestinians hope to found their future state, in spite of Israel's crackdown.
While Al Jazeera continued to broadcast from Amman, Jordan, and denounced the decision, the Israeli military did not react to demands for comment from The Associated Press.
Armed Israeli soldiers stormed the Al Jazeera headquarters in Ramallah, shutting down operations and seizing documents and equipment before telling the staff to leave right now.
A banner featuring the photo of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot by Israeli forces in 2022—a moment that Al Jazeera documented on camera—was destroyed by commandos during the raid.
An Israeli soldier said live that the office had to close for 45 days according to a court order and that the employees needed to leave the property right now.
Walid al-Omari, the head of Al Jazeera's local bureau, disclosed that the Israeli soldiers had defended the attack with laws taken from the British Mandate of Palestine.
Widespread condemnation has been expressed over the raid; the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate called it an "aggression against journalistic work and media outlets."
Since the Oslo Accords of 1993 gave the Palestinians some degree of autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza, the Israeli raid on the Ramallah office, which is under Palestinian control, was especially shocking.
Shlomo Karhi, the Israeli minister of communications, justified the operation, calling Al Jazeera the "mouthpiece of Hamas and Hezbollah" and promising to keep going after media outlets that pose a threat to Israeli security.
Israel has launched airstrikes on the Shiite group in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and tensions are rising as the terrorists and Israeli forces continue to exchange gunfire across the border.
Concerned by the raid, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists emphasized that "journalists must be protected and allowed to work freely."
Since Hamas launched their cross-border strike on October 7, Al Jazeera has continued to provide round-the-clock coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The network has reported on both sides' casualties, including those among its own crew.
It remains unclear if Israeli forces will extend their crackdown to Al Jazeera’s operations in Gaza, where the network has been broadcasting amidst Israel’s ongoing ground offensive.
Al Jazeera’s Arabic service has aired statements from Hamas and other militant groups, which Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claim harm Israel’s security.
Al Jazeera’s primary funder, Qatar, has played a key role in negotiating ceasefires between Israel and Hamas during the conflict, but Israel continues to allege that the network incites violence against its soldiers.
While Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel have been blocked, its Ramallah office in the West Bank had remained open until this latest raid, raising questions about the next steps in the Israeli crackdown.
Israel has historically taken action against individual reporters but generally allows a media landscape that includes foreign bureaus from across the globe, including those from Arab nations.
Israel also blocked foreign broadcasts from the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen news channel at the start of the war, in addition to its actions against Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera has faced government crackdowns in the past, notably in Egypt, where three staff members were jailed for 10 years following a raid in 2013, though they were later released after international outcry.
The Israel-Hamas war, which started with Hamas’s October 7 attack killing 1,200 Israelis and abducting 250 people, has escalated tensions across the region, with Israel’s military response killing at least 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
