CrossFireArabia
Al Jazeera’s Palestine Bureau Chief Walid al-Omari condemns Israel’s closure of the network’s office in Ramallah, stating:
‘This strategy aims to erase the truth and silence voices that inform the public.’
CrossFireArabia
Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, criticized Israel’s closure of Al Jazeera’s Ramallah office, linking it to the network’s vital coverage of the war in Gaza and repression in the West Bank.
He noted that Al Jazeera has been a key source of information on Israeli crimes against Palestinian civilians.
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, echoed Roth’s sentiments by reposting his message, adding, “No witnesses allowed.”
CrossFireArabia
With heavy guns, Israeli soldiers barged into Al Jazeera office in Ramallah and ordered it shut down. The raid was in the early hours of the morning, Sunday.
Troops raided the office with one soldier reading read out an order to Al Jazeera Bureau Chief Waleed Al Omari.
The soldier said: “This is an order from the court to close the Al Jazeera office for a period of 45 days and I ask you to take all your belongings and cameras and leave this office now.”
Al Omari then asked to see the order and read it out on TV live amidst a force of Israeli soldiers. It stated this is: “…an order concerning the closure of the office of the Al Jazeera Channel for a period of 45 days, and this is a military order issued by the leader of the central region of the Israel army.”
Al Omari added: “It orders us to leave now and immediately this headquarter and take our personal belongings including the cameras…”
The action of the closure by the Israel army soon become trending on the social media with a tweet from the Quds News Network stating “Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the center of Ramallah after closing Al Jazeera office and confiscating its live footage equipment.
Full report was made of the closure on Al Jazeera English with Al Omari saying the Israeli military’s closure order accused the network of “incitement to and support of terrorism”.
The report added: Al Jazeera’s Jivara Budeiri said Israeli forces fired tear gas in the vicinity of the Al Jazeera bureau and the Manara Roundabout in the heart of the occupied West Bank city. She added that Israeli soldiers confiscated their cameras. Budeiri said she feared the military may try to destroy Al Jazeera’s archives, which are stored in the office.
Israel always wanted to shutdown Al Jazeera particularly after its coverage of the war on Gaza following 7 October, 2023. Last May the Benjamin Netanyahu government made a decision to ban Al Jazeera from broadcasting in Israel and shutdown its office in East Jerusalem.
This was a decision that was condemned by the Al Jazeera management but to no avail.
The recent decision on Al Jazeera Ramallah office is being called as a “deafening scandal” by the Government Media Office in Gaza and has called in all international organizations to condemn the latest move.
Ever since the Gaza slaughter Israel has killed 173 journalists mainly in the enclave to prevent reporting on the Israeli army’s atrocities that resulted in the killing of 41,400 people, mostly women and children and injury of 95,700 people.
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Scott Griffen, the interim executive director of the International Press Institute (IPI), expressed significant concern over the Israeli government’s decision to revoke Al Jazeera’s press passes. He highlighted that this action raises serious issues regarding the harassment of Palestinian journalists and the restriction of their freedom.
Nitzan Chen, the director of Israel’s Government Press Office (GPO), announced the decision on Thursday, accusing Al Jazeera of disseminating “false content” and “incitement against Israelis,” according to the Qudus News Network.
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The Yedioth Ahronoth has reported the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has informed the Israeli Supreme Court that Hamas are still the rulers of Gaza and that the occupation army continues to face stiff resistance underground and above it.
The newspaper stated that the Netanyahu’s government was responding in Supreme Court sessions to examine a petition submitted by organizations concerned with the humanitarian situation and the distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip.
In its response the government stated Israel does not maintain effective control over Gaza and the army’s presence in the Strip is limited in a way that does not allow for actual control and activation of the powers of government as reported in Al Jazeera.
The Israeli government stressed Hamas is still able to exercise its powers of government in the Strip, and the occupation army is still facing armed resistance in Gaza from what it described as enemies in the enclave, both in underground tunnels and open lands.
“In the framework of operational activity, IDF forces are still facing armed resistance…underground and above ground, by planting explosive devices, anti-tank fire and snipers, launching rockets and trying to lure our forces into booby-trapped houses, etc,” the government stated.
It pointed out Hamas “is returning and operating in areas from which the IDF withdrew and is trying to rebuild its strength there.”
Supreme Court justices have several sessions over the past months to study the petition submitted by Israeli organizations, and Yedioth Ahronoth explained the judges receive periodic updates on the situation in Gaza but have not yet decided on the fate of the petition.
