Palestinian Authority freezes Al Jazeera operations in West Bank
The Palestinian Authority froze all operations of Qatari state-run media giant Al Jazeera West Bank, the PA-run WAFA news outlet reported on Wednesday evening.
The decision was reportedly made by a specialized ministerial committee composed of the Palestinian Authority’s Culture, Interior, and Communications Ministries.
The committee reportedly elected to shut down all broadcasting and activities of the Qatari outlet’s West Bank office.
According to WAFA, the move temporarily shuts down the work of all Al Jazeera journalists, employees, crews, and affiliated channels until such a time that the decision is reversed.
The PA action is due to Al Jazeera’s “violation of the laws and regulations… in Palestine” and the media giant’s “insistence on broadcasting inciting materials and reports characterized by misinformation, incitement, and interference in Palestinian internal affairs.”
Action taken after last week’s ban
The PA’s shuttering of Al Jazeera follows a Fatah announcement from late December that it would ban the news outlet, alleging that the Qatari news source caused incitement amid clashes between PA security forces and terrorist factions in the West Bank city of Jenin.
The PA said Al Jazeera was sowing division in “our Arab homeland in general and in Palestine in particular” and encouraged Palestinians not to cooperate with the network.
Hamas condemns Al Jazeera shutdown
After the PA announced the shutdown, Hamas published a statement in support of Al Jazeera, condemning the move.
“We strongly condemn the Palestinian Authority’s decision to suspend Al Jazeera broadcasts,” Hamas stated. “The decision… is a blatant violation of press freedom and a repressive act aimed at silencing voices.”
The terror organization further dubbed the move “a flagrant breach of media freedom and a repressive measure targeting free speech” and called on the PA to reverse its decision.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
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