Israeli police on Sunday raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its office, following a decision by the Israeli government to shut down regional operations of the Qatari-controlled TV station, an Israeli official and a source from Al Jazeera.
Videos posted online show plainclothes officers dismantling camera equipment in a hotel room. Al Jazeera’s source said the hotel was in East Jerusalem.
Isr5ael Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office will keep the broadcaster closed while the war in Gaza continues, claiming that the Qatari television network threatens national security.
Al Jazeera called the move a “criminal action” and rejected the accusation that the network threatened Israeli security as a “dangerous and ridiculous lie” that puts its journalists at risk. It also stated that it reserves the right to “pursue all legal measures.”
The network has been critical of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, from where it has reported 24 hours a day during the war.
“The incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel,” Netanyahu posted on social media after the cabinet’s unanimous vote.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also criticized the closure.
“We regret the cabinet’s decision to close Al Jazeera in Israel,” it said on the social network X. “Free and independent media is essential to ensuring transparency and accountability. Now, more than ever, given the limitations of reporting in Gaza. Freedom of expression is a human right. We call on the government to revoke the ban.”
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Tags: Israeli police raid Jazeera office order close station
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