Israeli Forces Raid Al Jazeera Office in West Bank, Order 45-Day Closure

Israeli forces raided the offices of Al Jazeera in Ramallah, West Bank, on September 22, ordering the bureau to be shut down for 45 days. The closure order, delivered by a heavily armed and masked soldier, accused the network of "incitement to and support of terrorism." This move follows an earlier order in May that saw Israeli police seize equipment and block Al Jazeera's broadcasts in Israel and websites. The raid marked the first time Israel has shut down a foreign news outlet operating in the country. Al Jazeera's West Bank bureau chief, Walid al-Omari, read the closure order live on air, calling the targeting of journalists an attempt to "erase the truth." The Israeli government has also revoked the press credentials of Al Jazeera journalists in the country.