Spokesperson for the IDF Avichai Adraee said in a statement in Arabic that Israeli forces, police and civil administration authorities closed al-Sanabel upon a military order that claimed that the radio station broadcasts programs inciting against Israel.
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The Israeli army has rounded up 18 Palestinians in overnight raids carried out in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, said a Palestinian NGO on Tuesday. Palestinians have killed 34 Israelis and two visiting Americans.
Palestinian police confirmed the detentions and said one of those held was the director of the Al-Sanabel station. In the course of the operation against the station, five people were taken into custody and broadcast equipment was seized.
An Israeli army spokeswoman could not provide examples of the type of content that led to the raid.
Israeli forces also arrived on board military vehicles in the Palestinian Christian town of Beit Jala, located 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) south of Jerusalem al-Quds, early on Wednesday, prompting protests.
Israeli authorities have closed at least four Palestinian radio or TV stations since a wave of violence erupted in October.
Violence has steadily declined in recent months. Some 208 Palestinians died in that time, most identified as attackers by Israel.
Others were shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes or demonstrations.
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Much of the violence has occurred in the Hebron area in the southern West Bank, a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a much-awaited report, the Quartet – the U.S., Russia, the European Union and the United Nations – urged Israel to stop building settlements and called on the Palestinians to cease incitement to violence.
