Israel shuts second Hebron radio station

Israeli forces Saturday raided and shut down a Palestinian radio station accused of incitement in the West Bank city of Hebron, the army said, in the second such case this month.

Soldiers entered the offices of Al-Khalil radio overnight and handed the station a six-month order to close, said Ezz Haddad, its head of programming.

"Al-Khalil radio station has repeatedly broadcast content which promotes and encourages terror and acts of violence against Israeli civilians and security forces," the army said in a statement.

The station's Facebook page posted pictures of heavily armed Israeli forces arriving at the offices and of alleged damage.

"They took the computers, the communication equipment, everything," Haddad told AFP..

The station was offline on Saturday morning.

Israel's civil administration, a unit of the defence ministry, said Al-Khalil had broadcast "lies about Palestinians being executed and abducted by security forces".

It also cited calls to "stab a soldier" and to "fight with a stone... load a weapon and start a revolution".

In a recording provided to journalists that was allegedly played on the channel, a singer urges listeners to "lock and load your machine gun and move forward" and to show "no mercy".

Haddad denied claims of incitement.

The army arrested 16 Palestinians in Hebron overnight, a military spokeswoman said, with residents saying many of its entrances and exits were closed Saturday morning.

The wave of violence, much of which has been focused in and around Hebron, has left 86 dead on the Palestinian side including an Arab Israeli, as well as 15 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean. 

Many Palestinians have been killed, while others were shot dead during clashes with Israeli forces.

Earlier this month, Israeli forces raided the offices of Al-Hurria radio station, also in Hebron, forcing it to close for six months.