Soldiers raid offices of Radio Dream, confiscate equipment and order it remain shuttered for six months, Palestinians say
Israel Defense Forces soldiers on Saturday night descended on the offices of a popular radio station in the West Bank city of Hebron, confiscated equipment, and shut it down due to accusations that it has been inciting violence, Palestinian reports said.
Images posted to social media by Palestinian users appeared to show soldiers standing in the street outside the offices of Radio Dream, as well as a damaged door and equipment strewn on the floor.
One picture showed what appeared to be a printed directive, signed by IDF Central Command chief Major General Roni Numa, ordering the station remain closed until May 26, 2015. The letter, which was dated November 26, 2015, was likely referring to May 26, 2016.
It was the third radio station to be raided in recent weeks amid persistent Israeli claims that a recent wave of Palestinian attacks has been spurred by incitement in social and traditional media.
Many of the attacks have taken place in and around Hebron, while others — including deadly attacks in Israel — have been carried out by terrorists who set out from the area.
The city, which features a small settler population guarded by a constant military presence, has also seen almost daily clashes between soldiers and Palestinian rioters.
Last Friday night, troops raided Radio al-Khalil, confiscating equipment and leaving behind a notice announcing the closure of the station for six months. That notice was also signed by Numa. Al-Khalil is the Arabic name for Hebron.
Earlier this month, soldiers and Civil Administration officials raided another Palestinian radio station in Hebron, after it aired what the army called “incitement” to deadly attacks against Israelis.
Broadcast equipment was seized in the raid on the offices of the al-Huriya station over its broadcasts of support for the stabbing of Israelis in the West Bank city.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said after the November 3 raid that “the army will continue to take all legal steps available to it against the attackers and their accomplices in order to ensure security for the residents of the State of Israel.”
As reported by The Times of Israel