Responding to the Israeli authorities’ raid on Al Jazeera’s Ramallah office and a court order mandating its closure for 45 days Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said:
“The Israeli authorities’ shutdown of Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah is another shameless attack on the right to freedom of expression and a crushing blow for press freedom.
“Amid escalating violations of international law, including through military operations in the occupied West Bank and relentless unlawful attacks in the occupied Gaza Strip with the real risk of genocide, access for journalists to shed light on ongoing events is crucial. The shutdown of Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah is a brazen attempt by the Israeli government to limit reporting on their violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
“This move clearly illustrates the extreme lengths to which Israeli authorities are prepared to go in order to shield themselves from critical media coverage and public scrutiny. All journalists must have the right to carry out their work freely and safely without fearing arrest, harassment, intimidation or any other form of reprisals.
“Israeli authorities already ban most international journalists from freely entering the occupied Gaza Strip to report on the ongoing war, now they are extending their crackdown on media to the occupied West Bank. The authorities must immediately revoke the order to shut down Al Jazeera bureau, end their harassment, intimidation and obstruction of journalists and other media workers in the occupied Palestinian Territory in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law. ”
Background
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 116 journalists and other media workers have been killed since 7 October 2023 making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
This is not the first time that Israeli authorities shut down Al-Jazeera offices. In May 2024, Israeli forces raided Al Jazeera’s office in occupied East Jerusalem. The decision was under a then-new law known as “Al Jazeera Law” that authorized the telecommunications minister, with Prime Minister’s approval, to take repressive action against foreign media that broadcast content deemed to pose a threat to national security during the war on Gaza. The office remains closed due to the Israeli authorities’ continuous extension of the order.