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The Palestinian Authority says it has suspended broadcasts of the prominent Arabic channel Al Jazeera in parts of the occupied West Bank, citing incitement and bias.
Qatar-owned Al Jazeera expressed shock and condemned the decision as “an attempt to hide the truth about events in the occupied territories.”
He attributes the closure to news coverage of a recent major crackdown by Palestinian security forces on armed Islamist groups in a refugee camp in Jenin, where at least 11 people were killed.
Al-Jazeera, which Palestinians watch, especially because of the exhaustive coverage of the war in Gaza, has already stopped being in Arabic and English in Israel.
For the second time in months, Al Jazeera broadcast the scene from its own office in Ramallah as security forces enter and order it closed. Last year it was Israeli soldiers who raided, but this time it was the Palestinian police.
On Wednesday night, a uniformed officer hands the official order to an Al Jazeera correspondent, who reads and signs it.
Fatah, the Palestinian faction that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), accused Al Jazeera of sowing division in “our Arab homeland in general and Palestine in particular.” Al Jazeera insists on its impartiality.
The PA, which cooperates with Israel on security issues, is increasingly unpopular with the Palestinian public and has little control over the city’s refugee camp in Jenin, which has historically been seen as a stronghold for armed groups.
Since early December, his forces have been battling members of the Jenin Battalion, most of whom are affiliated with Islamic Jihad or Hamas, whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. spawned the war in Gaza.
Analysts say the PA is trying to reassert its power in the West Bank and prove its potential value to the incoming Trump administration. They suggest she may also want to show her ability to take on a role in the future governance of Gaza.
However, the unfolding events have drawn condemnation from many Palestinians.
“Al Jazeera successfully maintained its professionalism throughout its coverage of the events unfolding in Jenin,” it said in a statement earlier this week.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the Al Jazeera network has been found to be in violation of Palestinian laws and regulations and has been temporarily suspended. The suspension order applies to all work of journalists and employees.
The network is accused of broadcasting “inflammatory material” and “misleading reports” that “provoke conflict and interfere in the internal affairs of Palestine,” Wafa said.
Israel’s parliament voted to shut down Al Jazeera in Israel last May, saying it threatened national security. Israeli police then raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera for broadcasting and some of the equipment was confiscated. Arab employees of the TV channel moved to the West Bank of the Jordan River.
In September, Israeli forces ordered the closure of Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah in the West Bank for 45 days, alleging that it was being used to support terrorist activities.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have often accused Al Jazeera of being a mouthpiece for Hamas.
Israel has also accused Al Jazeera staff in Gaza of belonging to the Islamist group. In July, the Israeli military killed Ismail al-Ghul, an Al Jazeera reporter in Gaza City who claimed he was a member of the armed wing of Hamas. Al Jazeera vehemently denies all allegations.
There is also a long history of hostility between Al Jazeera and the PA, with some PA officials accusing it of supporting Hamas, Fatah’s political rival.
In 2011, Al Jazeera’s publication of the so-called Palestine Papers, leaked confidential files detailing years of negotiations between Israel and Palestinian teams, embarrassed PA officials, who accused the network of distortions. The documents allegedly showed offers of major concessions to Israel.
Some Palestinian journalists have criticized the PA’s decision to ban Al Jazeera, saying it comes amid an increasingly authoritarian crackdown on dissent. The Foreign Press Association expressed “serious concern” over the action, saying it “raises serious questions about press freedom and democratic values in the region.”
