The Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which governs small parts of the occupied West Bank, announced on Wednesday that it will suspend the broadcasts of the Qatari network Al Jazeera for “inciting sedition,” according to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa.
The decision, which will be in effect “until the legal status of the chain is resolved,” comes after the outlet, also banned by Israel, reported on the recent clashes in the Jenin refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank, between the PA security forces and Palestinian militias related to Hamas.
A committee formed by the Palestinian ministries of Interior, Culture and Communications made the decision “following Al Jazeera’s insistence on publishing misleading material and information, inciting sedition and interfering in Palestinian internal affairs,” according to Wafa.
The measure is reminiscent of what is known as the ‘Al Jazeera law’ approved by Israel in April to prohibit the broadcast of the channel in its territory.
The network is one of the few media outlets with correspondents in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli authorities, who control all access, do not allow the independent entry of the international press, and has documented a large part of the bombings against hospitals or schools during the war.
The Al Jazeera Media Network this Thursday condemned the decision, which it claims is “in line with the actions of the Israeli occupation” against its staff and an “attempt to hide the truth.”
“The Al Jazeera network denounces the decision (…) and considers that it is nothing more than an attempt to dissuade the channel from covering the events that are rapidly escalating in the occupied territories,” said a statement from the Qatari network.
The network considers that the ANP’s decision “comes after an ongoing campaign of incitement and intimidation that parties associated with the ANP are carrying out against its journalists and correspondents.”
This decision “is intended to hide the truth about the events in the occupied territories, especially what is happening in Jenin and its camps. And – unfortunately – it coincides with the previous action taken by the Israeli government, which closed the Al Jazeera office in Ramallah,” the statement said.
“Al Jazeera is surprised by its decision, which comes at a time when the war in the Gaza Strip is still ongoing and Israeli occupation forces continue to systematically attack and kill Palestinian journalists,” adds the Qatari media.
It also calls on the ANP to revoke the measure, while insisting that it “will not deter it from its commitment to continue its professional coverage of events and developments in the West Bank.”
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