The Palestinian authority on Wednesday suspended all operations of Al Jazeera in the occupied West Bank, citing incitement.
The decision which was announced by a ministerial committee banned the broadcast network from both office activities.
The committee, made up of officials from the ministries of culture, interior and communications, also temporarily halted the work of Al Jazeera’s journalists, staff, teams and affiliated channels “until the network’s legal status is clarified,” according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The suspension came after Palestinian authorities claimed that Al Jazeera “aired content deemed to incite violence, spread misleading reports, and attempt to interfere in Palestinian domestic affairs.”
The ministerial committee emphasized that the suspension will remain in effect until Al Jazeera “complies fully with Palestinian laws and regulations.”
The move follows a series of public campaigns by Palestinian Authority officials and affiliated groups on social media criticizing Al Jazeera’s coverage of recent clashes between Palestinian security forces and resistance groups in the Jenin refugee camp.
Last week, Al Jazeera condemned what it called an “incitement campaign” against its journalists, particularly correspondent Mohammed Al-Atrash.
In a statement, the network emphasized that its coverage of Jenin’s events was balanced, with platforms for both resistance voices and Palestinian security forces.
The Palestinian Authority’s move was condemned by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
“This decision aligns with a series of recent arbitrary actions taken by the Authority to curtail public rights and freedoms and to reinforce its security grip on the Palestinian people,” it said in a statement.
The statement also urged the Palestinian Authority to reverse its decision and called on all human rights and media organizations to “stand firmly against these repressive practices.”
The Palestinian Authority’s decision followed Israel’s closure of the network’s Ramallah office last September. Forces stormed the office under a military order, confiscating all equipment and documents while barring employees from using their vehicles.
Last May, the Israeli government approved a proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi to shut down Al Jazeera’s offices across Israel. The decision was enacted immediately under the so-called “Al Jazeera Law.”
