Written by Emily Rose
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Al Jazeera satellite channel clashed with the Palestinian Authority over its coverage of the weeks-long confrontation between Palestinian security forces and active fighters in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
The Fatah movement, which controls the Palestinian Authority, condemned the Qatar-based network, which broadcasts extensive reports on the confrontations in Jenin, saying it was sowing division in “our Arab homeland in general and Palestine in particular.” It encouraged the Palestinians not to cooperate with the network.
Israel shut down Al Jazeera's operations in Israel in May, saying it threatened national security. In September, it ordered the closure of the network's Ramallah office for 45 days after an intelligence assessment that the offices were being used to support terrorist activities.
She said in a statement on Tuesday, “Al Jazeera successfully maintained its professionalism throughout its coverage of the current events in Jenin.”
Palestinian Authority security forces clashed with Islamist fighters in Jenin, as they tried to take control of one of the historic centers of militancy in the West Bank before a potential shake-up in Palestinian politics after the Gaza war.
Palestinian Authority forces, which exercise limited self-rule in the West Bank, moved into Jenin in early December, clashing daily with fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both of which are supported by Iran.
The confrontation sparked bitter anger on both sides, deepening long-standing divisions between Palestinian factions and their supporters.
Al Jazeera said its programs fairly presented the viewpoints of both sides.
Al Jazeera said, “The voices of the Palestinian resistance and the official spokesman for the Palestinian National Security Forces have always been present on Al Jazeera's screens.”
