simple fact is that Al Jazeera was not bombed” (1) . It is true the channel’s headquarters was not bombed, but the mere idea of even thinking about launching air strikes against an international me- dia network inside an ally country, may count as a proof that the bombing of the Kabul and Baghdad offices was premeditated and planned. After all, the two bombings were carried out under the Bush administration, who later reportedly thought about striking Al Jazeera’s headquarters in Doha. 4. Arab Governments Targeting Al Jazeera At the start, the careful approach with which Arab govern- ments dealt with Al Jazeera was not unexpected. Even when they felt troubled by some of its coverage and high ceiling of freedom, they did not react immediately in an aggressive way. In fact, Al Ja- zeera crews, across the Arab countries, did not face real pressures or encounter serious hurdles during the first two years. Even in the following couple of years, the channel only faced limited clo- sures and minor violations that affected its work slightly. By the end of 2001 though, a clear shift in security and legal approaches towards Al Jazeera and its crews had started to take place across the Arab World and some Western countries. This new attitude was mainly caused by the changing American stance against Al Jazeera, which aimed at impeding its coverage and preventing its journalists from reporting the U.S. war from a perspective that might challenge or contradict Washington’s narrative. This shift inspired Arab governments and encouraged them to adopt certain positions embraced by the world’s strongest democracies. In its first 5 years of operation, Al Jazeera’s correspondents, bureaus, and technical offices sustained a few violations or abus- es, most notably the shutting down of its offices in Amman (1998), Kuwait (1999), and Ramallah (2001) (2) . Apart from that, Al Jazeera (1) “Exclusive: ‘Tell Truth on Arab TV Strike’”, Daily Mirror , (31 January 2006): https:// www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/exclusive-tell-truth-on-arab-tv-576241/ (accessed 15 No- vember 2020).
(2) The Price of the Truth, Ibid.
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