Nyema Gillespie
On Sept. 22, the offices of the satellite news network Al Jazeera in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank were raided by Israeli troops. The breach happened live on air and troops where were ordered to remain shut down for approximately 45 days, as beliefs circulating on the network questioned whether they had effectively done a good job regarding their coverage of the Israel-Hamas War. This comes off the heels of a new law passed earlier this year which gives the Israeli government power to temporarily the broadcasting of international news outlets in Israel if they are seen as a threat to national security, heavily increasing the ongoing rise of Israeli censorship.
Al Jazeera is an independent network funded by the Qatari government. It is the first independent news channel in the Arab world. The network’s main operations include providing nonpartisan journalism to reflect the diverse voices throughout the globe. Its coverage of Israel and Hamas often emphasizes the context surrounding the conflict, providing viewers with background on the longstanding tensions between Israel and Hamas, as well as bringing international laws and human rights to the forefront of their journalism through interviews and first-hand accounts of survivors and citizens living in the warzones.
Official Statements from Israeli Forces claim that the shutdown was due to allegations of the network’s “incitement to and support of terrorism.” Al Jazeera decried the "draconian actions" and "oppressive measures" the Israeli Defense Force Explains. Forces entered the bureau using tear gas, confiscated journalists’ cameras and handed the shutdown order directly to the bureau’s head, Walid al-Omari, while the events were broadcast live. Journalist companies such as BBC and The Associated Press stand in solidarity with Al Jazeera, condemning the attacks as an assault on the free press.
The suppression of free press throughout Israel has been steadily growing in response to the inhumane media law passed in April of this year. Since then, Israeli forces have seized broadcasting equipment from popular networks such as The Associated Press and Al Jazeera. The censorship of conflict journalism extends further than government laws; According to the Center to Protect Journalists, in the Israel-Hamas war alone, over 35 journalists have been injured, 54 arrested and 116 killed, most notably the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran Al Jazeera correspondent, who was murdered by Israeli forces while covering an Israeli military raid in the Jenin refugee camp in West Bank. These senseless acts of violence reflect the importance of journalism in conflict areas and the values of the freedom of the press with an ongoing rise of violation of media rights.
Journalism has never been more vital than it is this year. We live in a time where advocating for the voiceless and shining a light on the dark corners of the world often cost journalists their careers and in most cases their lives. As journalists we have the unalienable right to educate audiences on what’s going on, when those rights are violated, we begin to live in a façade in which no one truly has enough information to distinguish right from wrong or good from bad. This story gives us a task as journalists to ask ourselves how much we are willing to put on the line, it also asks you as the audience how much we truly know about what is going on in our world.
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