The Israeli-Israeli Counterattack against the Benghazi-Israel Office in the West Bank of the Second Day of July 29th, 2001
The Israeli soldiers who told Mr. al-Omari that the office was closing asked him to call the commander of the military in the West Bank for more information. Al Jazeera broadcast the initial minutes of the raid live.
There was no word from Israeli forces after the shutdown. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment. Al Jazeera denounced the move as it continued broadcasting live from Amman in neighboring Jordan.
Armed Israeli troops entered the office and told a reporter live on air it would be shut down, saying that staff needed to leave immediately. The network showed a picture of troops from Israel tearing down a banner on a balcony. There was an image of a Palestinian-American journalist who was shot dead by Israeli forces.
Military documents shared with reporters by Mr. al-Omari and reviewed by The New York Times showed that the soldiers had seized dozens of items from the office, including computers and cameras.
Al Jazeera, Syria, and the Israeli War-Front: Why Israel and the Middle East Live on a Cross-Country
The West Bank is administered by the Palestinian Authority. Its forces were driven from Gaza when Hamas seized power in 2007, and it has no power there.
While covering the war, Al Jazeera’s Arabic arm often publishes video statements from militant groups like Hamas.
The Israeli government has taken action against individual reporters over the decades since its founding in 1948, but broadly allows for a rambunctious media scene that includes foreign bureaus from around the world, even from Arab nations. It also blocked the foreign broadcasts of the Hezbollah-affiliated, Beirut-based Al Mayadeen news channel at the start of the war.
Criticism of Al Jazeera is not new. The U.S. government singled out the broadcaster during America’s occupation of Iraq after its 2003 invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein and for airing videos of the late al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden.
The luxury hotel was raided by Egyptian authorities after mass protests against the president, who was ousted in a military coup. Three Al Jazeera staff members received 10-year prison sentences, but were released in 2015 following widespread international criticism.
The Israeli Campaign against Hezbollah in Gaza. The Al Jazeera Ramallah Office Closing During the Gaza-Hamas War
The Israel-Hamas war started when Hamas killed about 1,200 people in an attack on southern Israel. They kidnapped another 250 people and are still holding 100 of them. According to the Gaza Health ministry, at least 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
As Israel intensified its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Al Jazeera Ramallah office was closed, as tensions rise over a possible expansion of the war to Lebanon.
The raid illustrated that Israeli authorities were prepared to take far-reaching action to undermine the channel, which is based in Qatar and has provided extensive coverage of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.