Radio Bethlehem 2000, a radio station located near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, was shut down Tuesday evening by Israeli soldiers, who seized its equipment, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) has reported.
“The summary closure of an independent Palestinian radio station and the arbitrary seizure of its equipment constitute outright censorship,” RSF said. “The station’s management was given no explanation. We urge the Israeli military authorities to return the confiscated equipment and let the station resume broadcasting without delay.”
The Israeli soldiers arrived at the station, based in Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, at about 6 p.m. on Tuesday in five jeeps. After ordering a technician to stop work, they removed the station’s equipment without showing any warrant. One of the soldiers simply said: “We don’t want to hear Radio Bethlehem 2000 anymore.”
Station manager George Canawati told RSF, “We have not been told why the station was closed although we tried to obtain any explanation from the Israeli military.”
An independent radio station founded in 1996, Radio Bethlehem 2000 is now closed until further notice. “This measure is all the more surprising as the station had no political programmes on sensitive subjects and limited itself to broadcasting music,” RSF added.
