Israeli authorities have reportedly raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its office after the country decided to shut down the Qatari-owned TV station’s local operations on Sunday. Video circulated online showed plainclothes officers dismantling camera equipment in a hotel room.

Al Jazeera has the largest established presence in Gaza of any international outlet. Israel allows foreign journalists to access Gaza only through controlled press trips that it coordinates.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned the Israeli government’s decision to close its operations in Israel as a “criminal act” and warned that the country’s suppression of the free press “stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law”. “Al Jazeera Media Network 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 network said in a statement on Sunday.

“Israel’s ongoing suppression of the free press, seen as an effort to conceal its actions in the Gaza Strip, stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law. Israel’s direct targeting and killing of journalists, arrests, intimidation and threats will not deter Al Jazeera from its commitment to cover, whilst more than 140 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war on Gaza. The Network vehemently rejects the allegations presented by Israeli authorities suggesting professional media standards have been violated. It reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values embodied by its Code of Ethics,” it said.

The statement comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted unanimously to close Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, weeks after Israel’s parliament passed a law allowing the temporary closure of foreign broadcasters considered to be a threat to national security during the months-long war in Gaza.

There had been signs that Israel would take such a step against Al Jazeera. 

Last year, the Committee to Protect Journalists had urged Israeli authorities not to close the local bureau of Al Jazeera. The International Federation of Journalists also appealed to the government to review any such decision in the interest of the right to information and media pluralism.

Reuters had reported that Israel’s communications minister had said that he was seeking a possible closure of Al Jazeera’s local bureau while accusing it of pro-Hamas incitement and exposing Israeli soldiers to potential attacks. Karhi had reportedly said that the proposal was being vetted by legal experts.

“This is a station that incites, this is a station that films troops in assembly areas... that incites against the citizens of Israel – a propaganda mouthpiece,” Karhi told Israel’s Army Radio. “It is unconscionable that Hamas spokespeople’s message goes through this station.”

Israel’s attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara and communications minister Shlomo Karhi had reportedly reached an agreement subsequently on the use of emergency regulations. “Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has led the charge to pass these regulations in order to shut down the Al Jazeera news channel, which he claims has damaged national security,” reported Times of Israel.

Al Jazeera has been repeatedly criticised by Israel over its coverage. In 2017 as well, the Netanyahu government had threatened to shut Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem offices, accusing it of inciting violence. 

The ultimatum then had come amid intensified protests near the Temple Mount-Noble Sanctuary, one of the holy sites in the city. The protests, and subsequent clashes between the Israeli forces and protestors had led to the death of three Israelis and four Palestinians. 

There’s no better time to underline the importance of a free press. On World Press Freedom Day 2024, power the independent media.