Israel closes down second Arab radio station

Hebron, Palestine — Israeli forces raided and shut down a Palestinian radio station, the army said Saturday, in the second such case this month. Soldiers entered the offices of Al-Khalil radio overnight and handed the station a six-month order to close, said Ezz Haddad, its head of programming. “Al-Khalil radio station has repeatedly broadcast content which promotes and encourages terror and acts of violence against Israeli civilians and security forces,” the army said in a statement. The station’s Facebook page posted pictures of heavily armed Israeli forces arriving at the offices and of alleged damage. “They took the computers, the communication equipment, everything,” Haddad told AFP, denying his station was inciting violence. The station was offline on Saturday morning. The army also arrested 16 Palestinians in Hebron overnight, a military spokeswoman said, with residents saying many of its entrances and exits were closed Saturday morning. The wave of violence, much of which has been focused in and around Hebron, has left 86 dead on the Palestinian side including an Arab Israeli, as well as 15 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean. Earlier this month, Israeli forces raided the offices of Al-Hurria radio station, also in Hebron, forcing it to close for six months. — AFP