Fresh off of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s latest calls for a ban on al-Jazeera, the Qatari TV channel has been forced to evacuate its offices in Gaza after Israeli troops fired at them, shooting through the windows of their 11th story office as they were trying to do reporting from the balcony.
Israel has a long history of trying to ban al-Jazeera, and has tried to ban it during several of its recent wars, though such bans rarely stick in the wake of the war when pressed in court.
Israel’s military denied launching any “direct” attacks on al-Jazeera’s offices, but refused to confirm or deny if they had shot the building in the course of firing on other targets.
During Israel’s 2008-09 invasion, as well as its brief 2012 air campaign, Israel’s military repeatedly targeted media outlets perceived as broadcasting unfriendly footage of their conflict.
