Israel Temporarily Closes Al Jazeera Office in Ramallah

Israeli army forces entered the Al Jazeera news network office in Ramallah, the political center of the West Bank, on Sunday, October 1st, and closed it for 45 days under military order. The network broadcast live images of soldiers in their office and delivering the 45-day closure order to Walid al-Omari, the head of Al Jazeera's office in the West Bank, before the transmission was interrupted. The soldier delivering the order told Mr. al-Omari, 'I ask you to take all the cameras and leave the office right now.' Walid al-Omari told news agencies that his network has been accused of 'incitement' and 'supporting terrorism.' He added that targeting journalists is 'to prevent the truth from being heard.' Neda Ibrahim, one of Al Jazeera's staff, also told news agencies that they had heard the office was threatened with closure but did not expect it to happen today. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned Israel in a statement, stating that this military decision is a new step in 'violating the right to free media activity' in a network that 'exposes the crimes of the occupiers against the Palestinian people.' Earlier this spring, Israel also closed Al Jazeera's office in Israel, which had been broadcasting from a hotel in Jerusalem, following the government's decision to cut the network's activities in Israel. Shlomo Karhi, Israel's communications minister, stated that the network's activities threaten Israel's 'national security.' Israeli officials believe that Al Jazeera serves as a mouthpiece for the extremist group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. The Israeli government passed an emergency law in early spring in the Knesset, allowing the closure of a network for a period of 45 days, with extensions subject to court approval. A court in Tel Aviv has so far extended the ban on Al Jazeera's activities in Israel four times, with the latest ruling issued last week. One of the rulings earlier this summer emphasized that there is a 'direct connection' between Palestinian attackers involved in terrorist attacks in Israel and the consumption of content produced by Al Jazeera. Israel has also accused some Al Jazeera journalists of being actual collaborators with the Hamas extremist group. However, Al Jazeera had continued its work in the West Bank after closing its office in Israel. According to the Associated Press, this is the first time Israel has closed an active foreign news agency in the country. Hundreds of global networks, including those from Arab countries, operate in Israel and the West Bank with thousands of journalists. Qatar, where Al Jazeera's headquarters is located, along with Egypt, has been one of the two main mediators in the recent indirect negotiations between Israel and the extremist group Hamas to reach an agreement. Qatar, which has hosted several Hamas leaders for the past decade, apparently does not have official relations with Israel, but has had semi-open relations with Israeli leadership for over a decade, including regarding the transfer of financial aid from the Emir of Qatar to Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister has facilitated the transfer of aid from the Emirate to Gaza, arguing that Qatari financial assistance diverts Hamas from aggressive paths and helps the people in Gaza.