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US National Press Club calls for West Bank Al Jazeera office to be reopened
The National Press Club (NPC) in the US says the raiding and closing of Al Jazeera’s bureau in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank “is an aggressive, military action that should be reversed immediately”.
“The independent reporting provided by Al Jazeera is one of the few dependable sources of information about what is happening in the region,” Emily Wilkins, president of the NPC, said in a statement. “The bureau must be allowed to reopen, the confiscated equipment returned, and journalists allowed to continue their work.”
Wilkins also criticised how Israel closed down Al Jazeera’s office, including the “pulling down and destroying” of a banner of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces while reporting in May 2022 in the West Bank.
“Her killing has never been properly investigated and this assault on her memory is an aggressive and needless act. Shireen was an American citizen and the US must continue to press for justice in her case.”
US National Security Council gives ‘limited statements’ on closing of Al Jazeera office
What we’ve got from the latest statement from the National Security Council is that the actions are inconsistent with US support for press freedom. This is a concern obviously to the United States, and again, it is gathering more information.
Though the National Security Council has sent very limited statements, what we’ve also heard is outrage here in the United States from various journalists, including the National Press Club, which sent out a very strong statement over the weekend.
What it said is that Al Jazeera is considered to be one of the few dependable sources in the region and it must be allowed to reopen.
It goes on to condemn the actions of the Israeli soldiers, as have been seen widely circulated in the video that’s been disseminated across social media – for example, the tearing-down of the banner honouring our own journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by an Israeli bullet back in May of 2022.
The press club said: “Her killing has never been properly investigated and this assault on her memory is an aggressive and needless act. “Shireen was an American citizen and the US must continue to press for justice in her case” – something I can tell you really isn’t taking place at this time.
US concerned by Israel shuttering Al Jazeera office, State Department says
The US says it is concerned by the Israeli army’s raid and shutdown of Al Jazeera’s office in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
“This action is inconsistent with US support for freedom of the press in the West Bank and all over the world,” a State Department spokesperson said, adding that the US is still gathering information about the Israeli operation on Sunday.
How many crimes are they still gathering information about by now? It's just a euphemism for "we're not going to do anything about it"
Israel is deliberately targeting journalists in Gaza: Experts
Al Jazeera journalists Samer Abudaqa and Wael Dahdouh were reporting at the Farhana school in Khan Younis when Israel struck from the air on December 15.
Dahdouh took shrapnel to his upper arm but was able to apply pressure to the wound and escape to a nearby hospital for help.
But Abudaqa was unable to move, and despite repeated calls, medical aid wasn’t able to reach him. Abudaqa is one of at least 130 journalists and media workers, based on Reporters Without Border’s count, killed by Israel in Gaza since October 7.
Colleagues and family members pray over the body of Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abudaqa
Dujarric says ‘extremely concerned’ about closing of Al Jazeera’s bureau
The UN secretary-general’s spokesman says Israel’s raid and closure of Al Jazeera’s bureau in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank is a “reflection” of a trend of hampering journalists both regionally and globally.
“Look, we’re extremely concerned about what we’ve seen,” he said during a daily briefing. “We are extremely supportive of press freedom here, and I think particularly in conflict zones, we need the eyes and ears of media, of international media, of national media to get a sense of what’s going on.”
“If there’s no coverage, the suffering of people often goes forgotten.”
