(5 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY: NO ACCESS ISRAEL
ASSOCIATED PRESS – NO ACCESS ISRAEL
Ramallah, West Bank – 5 May 2024
1. Interior of Al Jazeera broadcast control room
2. Al Jazeera employee
3. Screens showing recordings
4. Al Jazeera logo
5. Walid Al-Omari, Al-Jazeera bureau chief for Israel and the Palestinian territories, in studio during broadcast
6.SOUNDBITE (English) Walid Al-Omari, Al-Jazeera bureau chief for Israel and the Palestinian territories:
“This is a very dangerous decision against Al Jazeera and against the International media at all. Because it’s clear at least that they want to prevent from any others to know what’s happening in this war, in Gaza, inside Israel, in the West Bank. This decision came as a result of the incitement that we suffered since the first day of this war, and even before this war. And this incitement was directed all the time by political people and politicians inside Israel.”
7. Al-Omari with colleague
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Walid Al-Omari, Al-Jazeera bureau chief for Israel and the Palestinian territories:
“Prime minister Netanyahu and his far-right government, that he is leading in Israel, they looking all the time how to have benefits for their electoral base. This decision is very dangerous one, Israel cannot claim all the time that she is a democracy, and at the same time they are cutting and they prevent the journalists to do their job. Their professional duty to deliver all the information and the facts, and the truth to the people.”
9. Al-Omari with colleague
10. Al Jazeera logo
11.SOUNDBITE (English) Walid Al-Omari, Al-Jazeera bureau chief for Israel and the Palestinian territories:
“According to the decision, it means the area of Israel as a state, which means under the Israel law, and it’s not including the West Bank because this is an occupied area. But at least as you know, this is a far-right government and it is a very extremist one, nobody can not expect it that they will extend it to include also our crews in the West Bank. But the most dangerous thing that this legitimatises the attacks and the incitement by settlers and by the extremists in Israel, inside the government and outside the government.”
12. Various of Al Jazeera employees working
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Walid Al-Omari, Al-Jazeera bureau chief for Israel and the Palestinian territories:
“We have a legal team and they are working to respond to these steps and these regulations.“
14. Various exterior shots of Al Jazeera offices with posters of Al Jazeera’s correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed nearly two years ago during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank
STORYLINE:
Al-Jazeer’s bureau chief for Israel and the Palestinian territories on Sunday slammed as "dangerous" the Israeli decision to shutter the local offices of the Qatar-owned broadcaster.
Walid Al-Omari said it was a "very dangerous decision against Al Jazeera and against the International media."
"It’s clear at least that they want to prevent from any others to know what’s happening in this war, in Gaza, inside Israel, in the West Bank," Al-Omari said.
His remarks come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government has voted unanimously on Sunday to shutter the offices of Al Jazeera in Israel.
The decision threatens to heighten tensions with Qatar at a time when the Doha government is playing a key role in mediation efforts to halt the war in Gaza, along with Egypt and the United States.
Qatar hosts Hamas leaders in exile.
According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, the decision goes into effect immediately.
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