The Israeli occupation authorities have renewed their decision to close Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah for an additional 60 days, marking yet another act of systematic suppression against media freedom and independent journalism in the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to local sources, Israeli occupation forces raided the office at dawn, posting the closure order on its entrance before withdrawing — an act that extends a full year of continuous shutdown since September 2024.
This renewed order forms part of a recurrent pattern of military decrees issued against the network since 2022, when occupation forces stormed the same office, confiscated its equipment, and tore down images of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot dead by Israeli forces while covering events in Jenin. Her killing became a global symbol of the violation of press freedom and the deliberate targeting of journalists in conflict zones.
The renewed closure constitutes a blatant violation of international law, notably Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of expression and to seek, receive, and impart information without interference. It also breaches Article 79 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, which obliges all parties to protect journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions and to refrain from treating them as military targets.
The Israeli occupation’s reliance on broad and opaque military orders to silence media outlets under the pretext of “security” raises serious legal and ethical concerns. Such measures represent a clear abuse of authority, violating the principles of necessity and proportionality under international humanitarian law. Claims of “national security” can never legally justify the systematic suppression of press freedom or the arbitrary closure of media institutions without independent judicial oversight.
Notably, the latest closure comes months after the Palestinian Authority lifted its own ban on Al Jazeera’s operations in the West Bank — reflecting a dual environment of repression where both Israeli occupation measures and local administrative restrictions jointly constrain independent journalism.
The renewed ban on Al Jazeera cannot be dismissed as an administrative act; it represents a continuing campaign to silence independent reporting and to deny the public’s right to information. Such actions strike at the heart of democratic values built upon pluralism, transparency, and freedom of expression.
These violations highlight the urgent need for concrete international action to ensure the protection of journalists and media institutions operating under occupation, and to hold accountable all authorities — whether occupying powers or local administrations — responsible for arbitrary measures that restrict press freedom.
