IDF Shuts Down Illegal Arab Radio Station

The IDF overnight Wednesday shut down an illegal radio station operating in the Chevron area. The Al-Huriyah Arabic-language radio station broadcast materials that incited listeners to violence against Israelis, the IDF spokesperson said. Soldiers confiscated transmitters and broadcasting equipment, computers and other items. The army will investigate the source of the station’s funding as well, the IDF said.

There are dozens of illegal radio stations operating in Palestinian Authority-controlled towns and villages throughout Yehudah and Shomron. Many of the stations use FM frequencies that are used by Israeli radio stations, broadcasting over them and interfering with the Israeli stations, and drowning them out in areas close to the illegal stations’ transmitters. In some cases, signals from the transmitters override communication between incoming planes and Ben Gurion Airport’s control tower, placing many flights in potential danger, officials said.

Early Thursday, IDF soldiers discovered and dismantled a large weapons cache that was stored in a house in Chevron. Dozens of weapons and associated materials, including ammunition, were removed from the house. The residents of the house were arrested and questioned on the source of the weapons.

Overnight Wednesday, security officials said they arrested 15 wanted security suspects in other areas in Yehudah and Shomron. The suspects were wanted for participating in rioting and throwing stones and firebombs that endangered Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. Several of the suspects were also charged with belonging to Hamas. All were being questioned on their activities by security forces.