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 the events in the occupied territories.”
He links the closure to media coverage of a recent major operation by Palestinian security forces against armed Islamist groups in the Jenin refugee camp where at least 11 people were killed.
Al Jazeera, which is heavily watched by Palestinians, especially for its in-depth coverage of the Gaza war, has already been stopped in both 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 move in and order it closed. Last year, Israeli soldiers carried out a raid, and this time the Palestinian police entered.
On Wednesday night, a uniformed policeman was shown handing an official order to an Al Jazeera correspondent who read and signed it.
Fatah, the Palestinian faction that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), accused the Al Jazeera network of sowing division in “our Arab homeland in general and Palestine in particular.” Al Jazeera claims to be impartial.
The PA, which cooperates with Israel on security, is increasingly unpopular with the Palestinian public and has little control over the urban refugee camp in Jenin, which has historically been seen as a stronghold of armed groups.
Since early December, his forces have been fighting members of the Jenin Battalion, most of whom are affiliated with Islamic Jihad, or Hamas, whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked the Gaza war.
Analysts say the PA is trying to reassert its authority in the West Bank and prove its potential value to the incoming Trump administration. They suggest she would also like to demonstrate her ability to take on a role in the future governance of Gaza.
However, the ongoing 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 is considered to be in violation of Palestinian laws and regulations and its operations have been temporarily suspended. The cease and desist order applies to all the work of its journalists and staff.
The network has been accused of broadcasting “inciting material” and “misleading reports” that “stir conflicts and interfere in Palestinian internal affairs,” Wafa said.
Israel’s parliament voted to shut down Al Jazeera in Israel last May, saying it threatened national security. Israeli police then searched a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera to broadcast and confiscated some of the equipment. The channel’s Arab staff moved to the West Bank.
In September, Israeli troops ordered Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah in the West Bank to close for 45 days, claiming 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 army killed Ismail al-Ghoul, a reporter for Al Jazeera in Gaza, claiming he was a member of the armed wing of Hamas. Al Jazeera strongly rejects all the allegations.
There is also a long history of hostility between Al Jazeera and the PA, with some PA officials accusing it of showing support for Hamas, Fatah’s political rival.
In 2011, Al Jazeera’s release of the so-called Palestine Papers, a leak of classified files detailing years of negotiations between Israel and Palestinian teams, embarrassed PA officials who accused the network of distortion. 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 in the context of an increasingly authoritarian crackdown on dissent. The Association of Foreign Journalists expressed “serious concern” over the action, saying it “raises serious questions about press freedom and democratic values in the region.”
