The Palestinian Authority has suspended Al Jazeera from broadcasting and operating in the occupied West Bank.
It accused the network of broadcasting “inciting materials” and “misleading reports” that “provoke strife and interfere in Palestinian internal affairs,” Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, said Wednesday.
“The decision also includes the temporary suspension of all journalists and staff associated with it, as well as the channels under its umbrella, until its legal status is rectified, due to Al Jazeera’s violation of the laws and regulations in force in Palestine,” the Palestinian news agency said.
Al Jazeera condemned the decision, calling it “in line with the practices of the occupation against its crews.”
A video from Al Jazeera shows three Palestinian law enforcement personnel entering a hotel room in Ramallah, in the central West Bank, and handing a letter to journalist Najwan Simri, who then signs it. The letter signed by the Palestinian Authority’s attorney general Akram Al-Khateeb, orders the “banning and freezing of all operations of Al Jazeera Satellite channel and its office in Palestine and freezing the work of all journalists working with the station, crews and affiliate channels temporarily until its situation is corrected due to [Al Jazeera’s] violation of the provisions of the laws and regulations.”
CNN has reached out to the Palestinian Authority for details on the reason behind the decision, and how long the ban will be in effect.
This marks the first time the network has faced such restrictions from Palestinian officials, including the Palestinian Authority which governs parts of the occupied West Bank.
However, Israeli officials have repeatedly attempted to stifle the news network, shutting down its operations in May, seizing equipment, and stopping broadcasts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has long complained about Al Jazeera’s operations, alleging anti-Israeli bias and accusing the network of being a “mouthpiece for Hamas.” Al Jazeera has rejected the claims as “unfounded allegations.”
Months after shutting down the network’s Jerusalem office, Israeli forces raided and shut down its Ramallah office in the occupied West Bank in September. Al Jazeera said it would “continue reporting on the war on Gaza and the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories and the regional escalation.” Since then, employees from Al Jazeera have used the title of “journalist” rather than “network correspondent” when reporting from the West Bank.
Following Monday’s announcement by the Palestinian Authority, Al Jazeera reiterated its “commitment to continue covering events and developments in the West Bank with full professionalism.”
The decision came from the Palestinian Authority’s specialized ministerial committee, which includes the Ministries of Culture, Interior, and Communications, according to Wafa. Lawyers like Muhannad Karajah from Lawyers for Justice – an independent Ramallah-based Palestinian group of lawyers – have challenged the legality of the order which did not come from a judicial ruling.
A controversial operation
In its statement on Monday, Al Jazeera said it “views the Palestinian Authority’s decision as an attempt to deter it from covering the escalating events taking place in the occupied territories.”
“The closure decision comes in the wake of a continuous campaign of incitement and intimidation from entities sponsored by the Palestinian Authority against our journalists,” the news network said. It called the decision “an attempt to conceal the truth of events in the occupied territories, especially in Jenin and its camp.”
