A small radio station, “Kol Hashalom,” unique in that it was directed jointly by a Palestinian and an Israeli, was abruptly shut down by the Israeli police on Thursday.
Kol Hashalom, which means “All for Peace,” had been active for the last seven years. It was a joint venture of the Palestinian NGO Biladi and the Israeli NGO Jewish-Arab Center for Peace, and was directed by former Meretz MK Mossi Raz and Meissa Baransie-Senyora. The station broadcast from Ramallah, under a license granted by the Palestinian Authority to the Biladi company.
Kol Hashalom offices in Jerusalem (Photo: Kol Hashalom)
On November 4th, the Ministry of Communication sent a letter to Kol Hashalom, saying it is acting illegally and must close down immediately. The managers, having consulted their legal counsel, sent a letter last week denying all those claims. On last Thursday, Raz was summoned for a police interrogation, where he was informed that he was suspected of managing an “illegal radio station”, and that if he does not order it to shut down immediately, he would be arrested and the police would raid the station’s Jerusalem offices.
