On Thursday 17th of November, Mossi Raz, co-director of All For Peace Radio, was summoned to a meeting at the police. There he was questioned under caution for three hours on suspicion of operating an illegal radio. Mossi Raz was released only after he had to sign a statement that “he will stop the broadcasts that are intended for the residence of Israel” and then was forced to make a telephone call which ordered a halt to the station’s broadcast. The police made it clear to Raz that if he does not comply with the demand to sign and perform the call, he would be brought before a judge to remand and to be arrested and that the police will raid the offices of the radio station. Mossi Raz had to fulfill the demands of the police investigators.
Since Thursday, November 17th, the Hebrew on- air radio broadcast 107.2 FM has stopped.
All For Peace, has been broadcasting from its transmitters in Ramallah. Which The Jerusalem Times- Biladi registered in the Palestinian Authority has its license from the Palestinian Ministry of Communication since 2004 till today to broadcast on 107.2 FM for Hebrew and 87.8FM Arabic Frequency. Needless to say that Israeli law does not apply in Ramallah.
All for Peace Radio operates from its recording studio in East Jerusalem- Sheikh Jarrah, next the Israeli National headquarters of the police. where radio programs are recorded and uploaded to the Internet. For seven years of operation of AFP radio the radio executives have met several times with Israeli senior officials from the Ministry of Communications, among others. In none of these dealings were the managers asked to cease the radio broadcasts, or have been warned that there is a problem with the existence of AFP or its broadcast.
On November 4th (a symbolic date) the radio received a letter from the Ministry of Communications demanding the immediate halt of all air broadcasts for its illegality, the radio executives responded that they express regret for determination of facts in a letter, and will respond in detail to the facts as well as to the demand to halt all broadcasts with in the coming days. The Ministry of Communications CEO’s office received the letter on Wednesday the 16th of November. The very next day Mossi Raz was summoned for questioning under caution and the broadcasting was forced to halt.
All for Peace Radio is committed to End of the Occupation, promoting Freedom, Democracy, Equality and Peace; according to a two-state solution and to be a platform for excluded groups in society as well as to promote freedom of expression and democracy in both nations. AFP program schedule include programs dealing with social and economic issues, political discourse, promotion of human and civil rights, programs that constitute social and political criticism as well as music and cultural programs. Most of AFP Radio program editors and broadcasters do so voluntarily out of the belief in freedom of expression freedom of speech and freedom of thought.
It seems that in these days, when the Israeli Knesset is swamped with a wave of anti-democratic legislation, the authorities found it necessary to stop the broadcasts of the only radio station that openly allows discussions and statements that support democracy.
All for Peace will be approaching the Supreme Court On Sunday the 20th of November 2011.
I was shocked to hear that your radio station was shut down by the israeli Government on Thursday. I pray that true freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers, as set forth in Article 19 of the International Declaration of Human Rights, will soon again exist in Israel and in Palestine.
Maybe you could put up one of those online petitions? I (and others, I am sure) would gladly add our names to it.
It is hardly surprising that the AllforPeace radio station was banned. It is with great sadness that the Knesset is becoming draconian and autocratic. This is a threat to democracy and free speech. These disturbing trends can only be curbed at the ballot box. We have witnessed a plethora of anti-democratic bills in the Knesset and the macabre mix of Judaic religious fundamentalism with national paranoia does not bode well for Israel’s future as a democratic state. The handwriting is on the wall and this is one of the symptoms of Israel’s eroding democracy.