Israeli troops raid Al Jazeera's West Bank bureau, issue closure order to Qatari broadcaster

The Israeli military on Sunday (Sep 22) raided the offices ofAl Jazeera in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank and issued a 45-day closure order. The Qatari broadcaster saidarmed Israeli troops had confiscated the cameras and prevented the staff from reporting on the ongoing raid.

"There is a court ruling for closing down Al Jazeera for 45 days. I ask you to take all the cameras and leave the office at this moment," an Israeli soldier told Al Jazeera’s Ramallah bureau chiefWalid al-Omari.

Walid added that Israeli troopswere tearing down posters ofShireen Abu Akleh, a journalist associated with the broadcaster who was killed two years ago.

“If we try to move or even seem to be thinking of moving… they point their weapons at us,” one Al Jazeera staffer was quoted as saying.

Al Jazeera's alleged bias

Al Jazeera has faced longstanding criticism from Israel, which accuses the broadcaster of biased reporting. Despite this, Al Jazeera has maintained a presence in Gaza, broadcasting coverage of the conflict, including airstrikes and humanitarian crises, often portraying Israel negatively. Israel, in turn, has accused Al Jazeera of collaborating with Hamas.

Al Jazeera's English division often presents content similar to other major networks, but its Arabic counterpart frequently airs unedited video statements from Hamas and other militant groups in the region. It faced significant criticism from the US during the occupation of Iraq following the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

Additionally, Tel Aviv is of the view that there has been a "close connection" between Al Jazeera and Hamas with some of the broadcaster's reporters turning themselves into "Assistants and partners" with the Palestinian militant outfit.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and its opinion of the broadcaster has only worsened since the Gaza war began following the October 7 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

In May earlier this year, the Israeli government announced its decision to close local branches of Al Jazeera, following anemergency law passed in April.

The initial Knesset law allowed Israel to ban the TV station for 45 days, with further 45-day renewals subject to court approval. The Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court has renewed the ban four times since then, mostly recently last week.

(With inputs from agencies)