The Palestinian Authority announced last night (Wednesday) the closure of Al Jazeera within its territories and the suspension of the channel’s operations throughout the Palestinian Authority, citing reports that constitute “fraud, incitement to rebellion, sabotage, and interference in Palestinian internal affairs.”
Closure of the Channel and Suspension of Journalists’ Work
The decision, officially made by the authorized ministerial committee composed of the Palestinian ministries of culture, interior, and communication, also decided to temporarily suspend the work of all Al Jazeera journalists and crews until their legal status is rectified, claiming that the channel violates the law in the Palestinian Authority.
The Authority states, as mentioned, that the reason for the decision is Al Jazeera’s reports classified as “incendiary materials characterized by fraud, incitement to rebellion, sabotage, and interference in Palestinian internal affairs.” The Qatari media network accused the Palestinian Authority of collaborating with Israel and stated in response that “the network condemns the closure of its office in the West Bank by the Palestinian Authority and views this action as consistent with Israel’s procedures against its teams.”
Background to the Decision: Incitement Against a PA Arrest Operation in Jenin
The decision comes after the Palestinian Authority launched an arrest operation against militants of the Islamic Jihad organization in the Jenin camp. During the operation, the channel disseminated inciting reports against the Authority’s mechanism, which lost five of its members during exchanges of fire with the militants.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera accused the Authority’s personnel of killing Palestinian civilians, including a journalism student in the Jenin camp, portraying her image as uninvolved. This student was the sister of a wanted Hamas operative and was herself considered an aide to the Jenin Brigade, associated with Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
IDF Spokesperson in Arabic Praises, Hamas Condemns the Decision
IDF Spokesperson in Arabic, Col. Avichay Adraee, praised the decision, stating: “A reminder to all those who suddenly woke up from Al Jazeera’s inflammatory and supportive coverage of Hamas and ISIS terror—the goal of Al Jazeera in the war is to raise the morale of the defeated Al-Qassam and to present a separate reality that serves Hamas’s agenda.”
Hamas, on the other hand, condemned the Authority’s decision, calling it a “blatant violation of freedom of the press.” The terrorist organization claimed that the decision’s aim is “repression intended to silence voices, which comes as part of a series of arbitrary measures that the Authority recently adopted—to restrict public rights and freedoms and strengthen the security grip on the Palestinian people.”
It should be noted that already at the end of last month, the Fatah movement banned Al Jazeera’s activities within its territories, due to coverage labeled as incitement against events in the Jenin camp, especially against Palestinian security mechanisms. In a message to the channel’s journalists, the movement wrote: “We call on you to resign from this enlisted channel that has ruined and continues to ruin the Arab world.”
The decision made last night grounds the Palestinian condemnations towards the channel and puts Al Jazeera employees at risk of punishment and arrest—should they continue broadcasting from the Authority’s territories.
As a reminder, the Israeli government ceased the channel’s activities in the country after it was determined that its broadcasts constituted a significant security threat. In December, a decision was made in the Tel Aviv District Court to extend the restrictions imposed on the Qatari channel’s broadcasts, alongside Al-Mayadeen channel associated with Hezbollah.
