Al Jazeera Office in Jerusalem Raided After Government Passes Order Shutting Down Network in Israel

Jerusalem: A hotel room in Jerusalem that was being used by Al Jazeera as its de-factor office in the area has been raided by the Israeli police, Reuters reported citing a local Al Jazeera source and an anonymous Israeli official. Several plainclothes officers were reportedly seen dismantling camera and broadcast equipment in the room and Al Jazeera itself, quoting a statement made by the Israeli communications minister Shlomo Karhi, said that its equipment had been seized by police officials. 

The minister also uploaded footage of the raid on the social media website X. 

All this was done following the Benjamin Netanyahu cabinet's decision to ban Al Jazeera in Israel, with a statement from the Prime Minister's office accusing Al Jazeera of harming Israeli security and inciting against IDF soliders. According to a report by the Times of Israel, the decision for the closure was initially delayed as the heads of intelligence agencies Mossad and Shin Bet expressed concerns that such a move could harm ongoing ceasefire talks with Hamas which are being mediated by Qatar.

For exactly such a reason, cabinet ministers from the National Unity party condemned the decision's timing while emphasising that the generally support the move. 

The ban and the reactions  

As for what precisely this ban does, the Israeli communications minister passed four orders after the cabinet decision was made: first, he instructed Israeli television providers to stop broadcasting Al Jazeera in the country; second, he ordered Al Jazeera to shut down both its offices in Israel; third, he ordered the confiscation of the channel's broadcast equipment, which not only includes cameras but even cellphones used by the network in Israel; fourth, he called for the channel's website to be blocked in Israel. 

While Israeli media sources have claimed that the ban will last for 45 days, there is no official information on exactly how long these measures will last. 

News of the ban was met with widespread condemnation, with everyone from the UN Human Rights Council to Hamas itself issuing a statement calling out Israel for violating press freedom. The White House, which had previously said that it does not support such a move, has not reacted publicly to the development thus far. 

As for Al Jazeera itself, the news organisation issued a statement in which it “strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right to access of information. Al Jazeera affirms its right to continue to provide news and information to its global audiences.”

The statement also made note of the more than 140 Palestinian journalists, including many working for Al Jazeera, who have been killed covering the conflict in Gaza in recent months. Furthermore, it asserts that “Israel’s direct targeting and killing of journalists, arrests, intimidation and threats will not deter Al Jazeera from its commitment” to cover events in Gaza.