The Palestinian Authority said it had suspended broadcasts of the prominent Arabic channel Al Jazeera in parts of the occupied West Bank, citing incitement and bias.
The Qatari-owned Al Jazeera channel expressed its shock and denounced the decision, describing it as “an attempt to hide the truth about the events in the occupied territories.”
The report links the closure to news coverage of the recent major crackdown by Palestinian security forces on armed Islamist groups in the Jenin refugee camp where at least 11 people were killed.
Al Jazeera, which is widely watched by Palestinians, particularly for its comprehensive coverage of the Gaza war, has already been shut down in both Arabic and English in Israel.
For the second time in months, Al Jazeera broadcasts the scene from inside its office in Ramallah, where security forces enter and order its closure. Last year, it was Israeli soldiers who carried out the raid, and this time the Palestinian police entered.
On Wednesday evening, a uniformed officer appeared handing an official order to an Al Jazeera correspondent, who read it and signed it.
Fatah, the Palestinian faction that dominates the Palestinian Authority, accused the Al Jazeera satellite network of sowing division in “our Arab homeland in general and Palestine in particular.” Al Jazeera insists it is neutral.
The Palestinian Authority, 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 is historically seen as a stronghold for armed groups.
Since early December, its forces have been fighting members of the Jenin Brigade, most of whom belong to Islamic Jihad or Hamas, whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, sparked the war in Gaza.
Analysts say the Palestinian Authority is trying to reassert its authority in the West Bank and prove its potential value to the incoming Trump administration. They suggest that it may also want to demonstrate its ability to play a role in the future governance of the Gaza Strip.
However, current events have drawn condemnation from many Palestinians.
“Al Jazeera has succeeded in maintaining its professionalism throughout its coverage of the current events in Jenin,” she said in a statement issued earlier this week.
According to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, the Al Jazeera network was deemed to be in violation of Palestinian laws and regulations and its operations were temporarily suspended. The suspension order applies to all work of journalists and employees.
Wafa said that the network is accused of broadcasting “inflammatory materials” and “misleading reports” that would “incite strife and interfere in Palestinian internal affairs.”
The Israeli parliament voted to close Al Jazeera in Israel last May, saying it threatened national security. Israeli police then raided a hotel room in Jerusalem used by Al Jazeera for broadcasting and confiscated some of its equipment. The Arab Channel crew moved to the West Bank.
In September, Israeli forces ordered Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah in the West Bank to close for 45 days, claiming that it was being used to support terrorist activities.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have often accused Al Jazeera of being a Hamas mouthpiece.
Israel also accused Al Jazeera employees in Gaza of belonging to the Islamic group. In July, the Israeli army killed Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza City, claiming that he was a member of the armed wing of Hamas. Al Jazeera strongly rejects all these accusations.
There is also a long history of hostility between Al Jazeera and the Palestinian Authority, with some PA officials accusing it of showing support for Hamas, Fatah's political rival.
In 2011, Al Jazeera's publication of the so-called “Palestinian Papers”, a leak of secret files detailing years of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian factions, embarrassed Palestinian Authority officials who accused the network of distortion. The documents claimed to show offers of major concessions to Israel.
Some Palestinian journalists criticized the Palestinian Authority's decision to ban Al Jazeera, saying it came against the backdrop of an increasingly authoritarian crackdown on dissent. The Foreign Press Association expressed its “deep concern” about this measure, saying it “raises serious questions about freedom of the press and democratic values in the region.”
