The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday ordered the temporary suspension of Al Jazeera broadcasts across the West Bank against the backdrop of the Qatari-based network’s critical coverage of Ramallah’s recent crackdown on 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 said.
In late December, Al Jazeera condemned what it said was an “incitement campaign” by PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party against the network in some areas of West Bank.
“This campaign follows the network’s coverage of clashes between Palestinian security forces and resistance fighters in Jenin,” Al Jazeera said in a statement at the time, lionizing the anti-PA fighters, many of whom affiliated with the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.
“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,” the network claimed.
The security forces of the PA, which exercises limited control over the West Bank, have been engaged in deadly clashes with terror elements since early December, triggered by the arrests of several fighters.
Palestinian Authority security officers launch smoke grenades during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Jenin, December 16, 2024. (Nasser Ishtayeh/ Flash90)
They are fighting members of the Jenin Battalion, most of whom are affiliated with either PIJ or Hamas, whose October 7 onslaught on Israel triggered the ongoing Gaza war.
The violence in Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of terror groups in the northern West Bank and a frequent target of Israeli military raids, has killed 11 people including PA security personnel and civilians.
Detailing the decision, the PA’s Wafa news site said, “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 decision also 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 report said.
Al Jazeera denounced Wednesday’s decision as “an attempt to discourage it from reporting spiraling events in the occupied territories.”
Palestinian Authority security forces gather at the site of a protest against clashes with terror groups in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on December 16, 2024. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)
It called on the PA to rescind the decision and allow its journalists to report freely from the West Bank without intimidation.
The decision was not expected to be implemented in Hamas-run Gaza where the Palestinian Authority does not exercise power.
Fatah said in its own statement accused the broadcaster of sowing division in “our Arab homeland in general and in Palestine in particular.” The party encouraged Palestinians not to cooperate with the network.
An Al Jazeera employee contacted by AFP confirmed that the network’s office in Ramallah had received a suspension order on Wednesday.
Later on Wednesday, the channel aired images of what appeared to be PA security officers entering the network’s office in Ramallah and handing over the suspension orders.
Hamas condemned the decision to ban the network.
A Palestinian Authority security officer clutches his gun amid a major raid against members of terror groups in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, December 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
“This decision aligns with a series of recent arbitrary actions taken by the Authority to curtail public rights and freedoms and to reinforce its security grip on the Palestinian people,” the terror group said in a statement.
“We call on the Palestinian Authority to immediately reverse this decision … It is crucial to ensure the continuation of media coverage that exposes the occupation and supports the steadfastness of our people.”
The Wednesday decision comes more than three months after Israeli forces raided the network’s office in Ramallah.
The network is already banned from broadcasting from Israel amid a long-running feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has only worsened during the ongoing war in Gaza. Israeli officials have long complained about Al Jazeera’s coverage, which they say is heavily influenced by Hamas and endangers IDF troops in Gaza.
