Amnesty International Condemns Closure of Al Jazeera Office in Ramallah
Amnesty International has condemned the Israeli authorities' decision to close Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah for 45 days, describing it as a severe infringement on press freedom and a blatant attack on the right to freedom of expression. The closure follows a raid by Israeli forces on the media outlet's office, which Amnesty claims is an attempt to stifle critical reporting on Israel's alleged violations of international law.
Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, emphasized that this action aims to limit coverage of Israel's military operations and human rights abuses in the occupied territories. She stated, “This move clearly demonstrates the lengths to which the Israeli authorities are prepared to go in order to protect themselves from critical media coverage and public scrutiny.”
The organization highlighted the importance of allowing journalists to report freely, especially amid escalating violence in the region, including military actions in the West Bank and ongoing attacks in Gaza. Amnesty has called for the immediate reversal of the closure and urged the Israeli government to cease its harassment of journalists, which has significantly restricted media access to the conflict zones.
Moreover, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that at least 116 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the onset of hostilities on October 7, 2023, marking this period as the deadliest for journalists since they began tracking fatalities in 1992. The ongoing crackdown on media is seen as part of a broader pattern of suppressing dissent and limiting the flow of information in the region.
