Jerusalem "peace radio" staff under house arrest

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli court placed under house arrest on Tuesday seven employees of an English-language radio station set up to foster dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Ministry of Communications shut the South African-backed RAM FM's Jerusalem studio on Monday, saying it did not have a license to broadcast. RAM FM has denied it was breaking the law.

Seven employees including journalists and technicians were initially detained for about 24 hours. The Jerusalem magistrates court released them on bail but put them under a week's house arrest while police continue to investigate.

"They were accused of establishing and operating a broadcast station without a permit ... obviously we have denied the allegations," said the station's lawyer Asher Rabinowitz.

Set up a year ago with backing from a South African station that aimed to foster racial reconciliation after apartheid, RAM FM says it hopes its mix of phone-ins, music and news can help build links over the airwaves between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Jerusalem Foreign Press Association called the detention of the staff "absurd". A senior government official said the RAM FM arrests were not politically motivated and related purely to the license issue.

The station continued to broadcast out of its main studio in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah.

Israel has been trying to police broadcasting frequencies more strictly. Pirate stations have been accused of interfering with air traffic control radios at the country's main airport.

(Reporting by Rebecca Harrison; editing by Andrew Roche)