Israel shuts down Al Jazeera office in Ramallah amid accusations of incitement

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The Israeli military has shut down Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah, located in the occupied West Bank, for 45 days, citing allegations of incitement and support of terrorism. Early on Sunday, Israeli soldiers raided the Qatar-based network’s bureau and handed a military court order to Walid al-Omari, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief, who confirmed the office’s closure. The soldiers also confiscated cameras and removed posters of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian American journalist killed in 2022.

This action follows Israel's closure of Al Jazeera's operations in East Jerusalem five months ago, with authorities claiming that the network poses a national security threat. In response, press freedom organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, have condemned the raid, arguing that it restricts the public’s right to information. Al Jazeera rejected the accusations, calling them baseless and a threat to its journalists.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and Reporters Without Borders also denounced the closure as a violation of press freedom, while Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi defended the decision, labeling the network as supportive of Hamas and Hezbollah.