Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera broadcast
Published: 06:01 PM,Jan 02,2025 | EDITED : 10:01 PM,Jan 02,2025
A man photographs the closed door of the Doha-based Al-Jazeera TV channel in the occupied-West Bank city of Ramallah on January 2, 2025. The Palestinian Authority has ordered the suspension of broadcasts by Al Jazeera across the Palestinian territories, accusing the network of incitement, official media reported. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority has ordered the suspension of broadcasts by Qatar-based Al Jazeera and on Thursday accused it of incitement, which the news channel compared to Israeli practices. Al Jazeera is already banned from broadcasting from Israel amid a long-running feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
In September, armed and masked Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah also raided Al Jazeera office, saying it was “used to incite terror.” The military issued an initial 45-day closure order, prompting the Palestinian foreign ministry at the time to condemn “a flagrant violation” of press freedom.
On Thursday, the PA insisted its own suspension measure was “temporary,” adding its decision followed a complaint from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate concerning the network’s coverage.
“These measures shall be applied until Al Jazeera chooses to act in accordance with basic media ethics, including its duty to prevent deliberate disinformation, ban the glorification of violence and end the incitement to armed mutiny,” the PA said.
The syndicate, which represents about 3,000 Palestinian journalists, said several had filed complaints against Al Jazeera for “biased media coverage on its platforms, including incitement, misleading reports and content that stirs internal discord”.
The PA’s decision includes “temporarily freezing the work of all journalists, employees, crews and affiliated channels until their legal status is rectified due to Al Jazeera’s violations of the laws and regulations in force in Palestine”, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported late on Wednesday.
The channel aired images of what appeared to be Palestinian security officers entering the network’s office in Ramallah and handing over the suspension orders.
Al Jazeera condemned the decision, saying it “aligns with Israeli occupation practices targeting its media teams”.
It accused the PA, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank, of “attempting to deter Al Jazeera from covering escalating events in the occupied Palestinian territories” including in Jenin and its refugee camp. The PA’s security forces have been engaged in weeks of deadly clashes with armed militants in Jenin, in the northern West Bank.
Militant group Hamas, rivals of Fatah which dominates the PA, condemned the decision to ban the network. — AFP
In September, armed and masked Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah also raided Al Jazeera office, saying it was “used to incite terror.” The military issued an initial 45-day closure order, prompting the Palestinian foreign ministry at the time to condemn “a flagrant violation” of press freedom.
On Thursday, the PA insisted its own suspension measure was “temporary,” adding its decision followed a complaint from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate concerning the network’s coverage.
“These measures shall be applied until Al Jazeera chooses to act in accordance with basic media ethics, including its duty to prevent deliberate disinformation, ban the glorification of violence and end the incitement to armed mutiny,” the PA said.
The syndicate, which represents about 3,000 Palestinian journalists, said several had filed complaints against Al Jazeera for “biased media coverage on its platforms, including incitement, misleading reports and content that stirs internal discord”.
The PA’s decision includes “temporarily freezing the work of all journalists, employees, crews and affiliated channels until their legal status is rectified due to Al Jazeera’s violations of the laws and regulations in force in Palestine”, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported late on Wednesday.
The channel aired images of what appeared to be Palestinian security officers entering the network’s office in Ramallah and handing over the suspension orders.
Al Jazeera condemned the decision, saying it “aligns with Israeli occupation practices targeting its media teams”.
It accused the PA, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank, of “attempting to deter Al Jazeera from covering escalating events in the occupied Palestinian territories” including in Jenin and its refugee camp. The PA’s security forces have been engaged in weeks of deadly clashes with armed militants in Jenin, in the northern West Bank.
Militant group Hamas, rivals of Fatah which dominates the PA, condemned the decision to ban the network. — AFP