Hebron: Israeli authorities have shut down a Palestinian radio station in the occupied West Bank the army said Wednesday, the latest in a series of such raids.
The overnight operation in Dura near Hebron led to five arrests, according to the Israeli army.
Palestinian police confirmed the detentions and said one of those held was the director of the Al Sanabel station.
Broadcast equipment was also seized, the army said.
According to Palestinian police, the station’s door was broken during the raid and a notice was given saying it was ordered closed for three months.
An Israeli army spokeswoman could not provide examples of the type of content that led to the raid but claimed it was ‘inciting violence’.
Israeli authorities have closed at least four Palestinian radio or TV stations since a wave of violence erupted in October.
The violence has killed 222 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP tally.
Many Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli occupation forces during protests and clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians have also carried out retaliatory lone-wolf attacks on Israeli soldiers and colonists.
Much of the violence has occurred in the Hebron area in the southern West Bank, a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and colony-building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest.
