Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera operations over incitement allegations

Palestinian Authority takes Al Jazeera off air

The Palestinian Authority has temporarily suspended the operations of Qatar-based Al Jazeera in its territories, including its broadcasts, citing the network’s dissemination of “inciting material,” according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Reasons for suspension

The decision was jointly made by the ministers of culture, interior, and communications, who accused the channel of broadcasting content that was “deceiving and stirring strife.” However, specific details regarding the alleged material were not disclosed. The suspension is described as temporary, but no timeline for lifting the order has been provided.

Background and criticism

The move comes after Al Jazeera covers the prolonged standoff between Palestinian security forces and militant fighters in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Authority had criticized the network’s reporting as biased and inflammatory.

Fatah, the political faction that controls the Palestinian Authority, accused Al Jazeera of sowing division in “our Arab homeland in general and in Palestine in particular” and urged Palestinians to refrain from cooperating with the channel.

Al Jazeera’s response

In a statement, Al Jazeera denounced the suspension, calling it “an attempt to discourage it from reporting spiraling events in the occupied territories.” The network demanded that the Palestinian Authority reverse the decision and allow its journalists to operate freely in the West Bank without intimidation.

Jurisdictional impact

The suspension is not expected to be enforced in Hamas-controlled Gaza, where the Palestinian Authority lacks jurisdiction.

Previous actions against Al Jazeera

The Israeli military had previously raided Al Jazeera’s West Bank bureau in Ramallah, shutting it down in September. In May, Israel issued a ban on the network, citing national security concerns and a court later upheld the prohibition.

The suspension highlights ongoing tensions between Al Jazeera, the Palestinian Authority, and regional governments over the network’s reporting on sensitive political and security matters.

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