By storming our Al Jazeera offices in Ramallah, Israel has stepped up its attack on press freedom Asef Hamidi

TThe decision to close Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah, ban its activities in Israel and restrict international media reporting from Gaza is a dire warning for all independent journalists worldwide. No media company in the world would tolerate heavily armed and masked security guards storming its offices.

In the early hours of September 22, armed foot soldiers of Israel's far-right regime stormed the office's entrance, confiscated equipment, disrupted live broadcasts and brandished a signed directive ordering the station's Palestinian activities to cease. They barricaded the entrance with metal panels.

This serious attack on press freedom, which forced the immediate closure of Al Jazeera Media Network's office in the occupied West Bank, followed the decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet in May to suspend Al Jazeera's activities in Israel. Authorities ordered the Ramallah office closed for 45 days for “inciting and supporting terrorism” – citing a law passed in 1945 under the British mandate.

Israeli authorities have relentlessly targeted Al Jazeera and its journalists because we remain the only international media network reporting from Gaza and the occupied territories. The network's crime appears to have shone a light on the devastating impact of Israel's war in Gaza and the ongoing raids and incursions in the occupied West Bank. The constant threats Al Jazeera faces, including intimidation, obstruction, injuries, arrests and killings, are unacceptable. We will exhaust all available legal options to protect our rights and those of our journalists.

Unfortunately, this is not new – Israel has a long history of attacks on Al Jazeera. In recent years the attacks have become more pronounced and bolder. In 2017, Netanyahu threatened to close our Jerusalem office. In 2021, an Israeli missile destroyed the building housing our offices in Gaza. In 2022, our journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead by an Israeli sniper in Jenin refugee camp.

Since October 2023, attacks and harassment have increased many times over. The targeted killing of our brave colleagues, journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman Rami al-Rifi, by Israeli forces in July was another attempt to silence journalists who reported on the war and its human impact on millions of people .

We believe that these heinous acts are part of a systematic campaign against Al Jazeera journalists, as evidenced by the targeted drone killings of our journalists Samer Abu Daqqa and Hamza AlDahdooh, as well as the killings of our colleagues' family members since October last year.

The Israeli authorities' callous behavior and shameful attacks against Shireen Abu Akleh continue even after her death. Police stormed her funeral procession, causing her coffin to fall to the ground. And after Sunday's raid, occupying forces tore down Shireen's memorial photo at Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah. The Netanyahu regime's deep hostility toward journalists and their work, even in death, is an outrageous embodiment of a policy that has been implemented for years.

This sets a dangerous precedent for journalists and media companies and poses a serious threat to press freedom and the right of the audience to know not only what is happening on the ground in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem within Israel.

The draconian legislation aims to silence Al Jazeera and all independent media in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in order to hide this inhumane war and atrocities that are being investigated by the world's highest court.

It is absurd to accuse Al Jazeera of violating professional standards, and equally outrageous to portray its cameramen and reporters as a threat to Israel's security. These allegations are baseless and baseless and pose a serious threat to the safety of our colleagues.

After the Israeli government's repeated failures to silence Al Jazeera, the introduction of a new law, citing the emergency situation, to ban Al Jazeera, thereby circumventing its own due process, shows the lengths to which the Prime Minister and his Right-wing extremist cabinet is ready to silence international media.

Despite these relentless attacks, Al Jazeera remains committed to upholding the values ​​enshrined in our Code of Ethics and providing unbiased, accurate and fearless reporting. These attacks will do the opposite of what the Israeli authorities want: they will only strengthen our resolve to be the voice of the voiceless and speak truth to power. Al Jazeera's global recognition by hundreds of millions of viewers and our awards and recognition for its courageous coverage of the war in Gaza are further evidence of the channel's impartial and objective reporting.

It is imperative that Israel allows Al Jazeera and all other international media companies to operate freely. to allow independent international media teams to enter Gaza; and to refrain from intimidation, harassment and attempts to restrict freedom of information. Israel must be held accountable for its actions against the press and impunity must end.

It is high time for the leaders of the free world to stand up for basic freedom of the press. It is not too late to take immediate, strong and decisive action against the Israeli government and its military apparatus for their continued violations of press freedom and international humanitarian law. The world's legal institutions are committed to holding Israel accountable for these crimes.

The Israeli far-right government has decided to smash the mirror that reflects a painful reality. If the world fails to ensure the protection of journalists in conflict zones, their safety and the free flow of information, it will set a dangerous and dark precedent. And history will not be kind.

• Asef Hamidi is the news director of Al Jazeera Channel

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