Israel has shut down a foreign news outlet in the contested West Bank region for the first time.
As fighting with Hezbollah worsens, reports said that Israel yesterday raided Al Jazeera in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and ordered the satellite office to be shut for 45 days.
According to the Associated Press, the Israeli military has acknowledged conducting the raid, alleging without providing evidence that the newsroom is “being used to incite terror, to support terrorist activities and that the channel’s broadcasts endanger … security and public order.”
Al Jazeera says it has continued operating in the West Bank and also in the Gaza strip while broadcasting live from nearby Jordan. In a statement, the Qatar-backed news outlet said it will “not be intimidated or deterred by efforts to silence its coverage.”
The move is the latest media crackdown as the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel approaches. In May, Israeli police raided Al Jazeera’s broadcast position in East Jerusalem, seizing equipment, preventing broadcasts and blocking websites.
Fighting against Lebanon has ramped up in recent days since covert blasts on pagers and walkie-talkies killed a number of people and injured thousands. Israel has not taken responsibility but is being blamed by Hezbollah. The pair have been exchanging rocket fire over the weekend after Hezbollah vowed retaliation. Simultaneously, prospects for a Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas appear to have dimmed.