The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Wednesday temporarily suspended Al Jazeera’s broadcasts across the West Bank, citing concerns about the network’s coverage of recent events.
The Qatari-based network has faced accusations from Ramallah over its portrayal of the PA’s ongoing operations against terror groups in the territory.
“This decision comes in response to Al Jazeera’s insistence on broadcasting inciting content and reports characterized by misinformation, incitement, sedition and interference in Palestinian internal affairs,” the official PA news agency Wafa reported.
In December, Al Jazeera condemned what it described as an “incitement campaign” launched by PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party.
The network’s coverage of violent clashes between Palestinian security forces and resistance fighters in Jenin appears to have heightened tensions.
According to Al Jazeera, “During its coverage of the tragic events in Jenin, Al Jazeera ensured the presence of all voices, including those of the resistance fighters and the spokesperson for the Palestinian security forces.”
Jenin, a hotbed of militant activity, has been a focal point of the PA’s crackdown. The clashes, triggered by the arrests of several fighters, have left 11 people dead, including PA security officers and civilians. Many of those involved in the violence are associated with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
Explaining the decision, an official news agency for Palestinian Authority, Wafa, stated, “The [PA’s] specialized ministerial committee, comprising the ministries of culture, interior and communications, has decided to suspend broadcasts and freeze all activities of Al Jazeera satellite channel and its office in Palestine.”
The committee also announced that all Al Jazeera journalists and employees in the region would be barred from working until the network complies with Palestinian laws and regulations.
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Reacting to the suspension, Al Jazeera described it as an attempt to discourage it from reporting spiraling events in the occupied territories.
“Al Jazeera Media Network denounces the Palestinian Authority’s decision to freeze its work and coverage in the West Bank. It considers this decision nothing but an attempt to dissuade the channel from covering the rapidly escalating events taking place in the occupied territories,” the Qatar-based network said in a statement on Thursday.
The network urged the PA to reverse its decision and allow its journalists to operate freely.
Images aired later on Wednesday showed PA security officers entering Al Jazeera’s Ramallah office to deliver suspension orders, confirmed by a network employee.
