Israeli soldiers at the Ramallah station

Israel shut down the Ramallah office of a Palestinian television station early on Friday, the broadcaster said.

This happened after the security cabinet approved measures to close West Bank broadcasters that Israel accuses of incitement.

A statement by Palestine Today TV, affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement, said that Israeli forces raided its office in Ramallah and seized broadcast equipment before posting a notice on the door indicating that the office was shut down.

The army arrested two employees who were at the office during the raid and office manager Farouq Ilyat after raiding his home in nearby town of Birzeit, the station said.

Cameraman Mohammad Amro said that soldiers also raided the office of Trans Media, which provides satellite services to Palestine Today and other television stations.

“The soldiers took everything in the office including all the broadcast equipment,” he said.

Israel accuses the Palestinian media, including the official Palestine TV, of inciting against it through live broadcasts of demonstrations and clashes with the Israeli soldiers around the West Bank.

It had shut down three radio stations in the West Bank in recent months on the same charges.

The move against broadcasters comes after a new wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis in Jerusalem and other places left one U.S. citizen and the assailant dead as well as many injured. (Isreal/NAN)