The Palestinian Authority has suspended Al Jazeera from broadcasting and operating in the occupied West Bank. <\/p>\n
It accused the network of broadcasting \u201cinciting materials\u201d and \u201cmisleading reports\u201d that \u201cprovoke strife and interfere in Palestinian internal affairs,\u201d Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, said Wednesday. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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\u2019s violation of the laws and regulations in force in Palestine,\u201d the Palestinian news agency said. <\/p>\n
Al Jazeera condemned the decision, calling it \u201cin line with the practices of the occupation against its crews.\u201d <\/p>\n
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\u2019s attorney general Akram Al-Khateeb, orders the \u201cbanning 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\u2019s] violation of the provisions of the laws and regulations.\u201d <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
However, Israeli officials have repeatedly attempted to stifle the news network, shutting down its operations in May, seizing equipment, and stopping broadcasts. <\/p>\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s government has long complained about Al Jazeera\u2019s operations, alleging anti-Israeli bias and accusing the network of being a \u201cmouthpiece for Hamas.\u201d Al Jazeera has rejected the claims as \u201cunfounded allegations.\u201d <\/p>\n
Months after shutting down the network\u2019s Jerusalem office, Israeli forces raided and shut down its Ramallah office in the occupied West Bank in September. Al Jazeera said it would \u201ccontinue reporting on the war on Gaza and the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories and the regional escalation.\u201d Since then, employees from Al Jazeera have used the title of \u201cjournalist\u201d rather than \u201cnetwork correspondent\u201d when reporting from the West Bank. <\/p>\n
Following Monday\u2019s announcement by the Palestinian Authority, Al Jazeera reiterated its \u201ccommitment to continue covering events and developments in the West Bank with full professionalism.\u201d <\/p>\n
The decision came from the Palestinian Authority\u2019s specialized ministerial committee, which includes the Ministries of Culture, Interior, and Communications, according to Wafa. Lawyers like Muhannad Karajah from Lawyers for Justice \u2013 an independent Ramallah-based Palestinian group of lawyers \u2013 have challenged the legality of the order which did not come from a judicial ruling. <\/p>\n
In its statement on Monday, Al Jazeera said it \u201cviews the Palestinian Authority\u2019s decision as an attempt to deter it from covering the escalating events taking place in the occupied territories.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThe closure decision comes in the wake of a continuous campaign of incitement and intimidation from entities sponsored by the Palestinian Authority against our journalists,\u201d the news network said. It called the decision \u201can attempt to conceal the truth of events in the occupied territories, especially in Jenin and its camp.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Qatari-based news network, which has produced dogged, on-the-ground reporting of Israel\u2019s war in Gaza, has also extensively covered an operation by Palestinian security forces that began in December, in the occupied West Bank to combat what they describe as extremist \u201coutlaws\u201d in Jenin. The fighting between the Palestinian Authority\u2019s security forces and Palestinian militant groups aligned with Hamas \u2013 who accuse the authority of selling out to Israel – has been highly controversial. <\/p>\n
Al Jazeera was also criticized by the Palestinian Authority following the network\u2019s coverage of the killing of Palestinian journalist Shatha Sabbagh, whose family accused Palestinian security forces of shooting her in the head on Saturday during their Jenin operation. <\/p>\n
In a virtual interview on Sunday with Al Jazeera anchor Ahmed Taha, alongside Sabbagh\u2019s mother, the spokesperson for the Palestinian security forces Anwar Rajab said he was not notified he would be on air with the mother. After listening to her for about three and a half minutes, in which she accused the security forces of killing her daughter, Rajab offered his condolences and then accused Al Jazeera of being \u201cunprofessional\u201d and \u201ctaking advantage of people\u2019s suffering and pain.\u201d <\/p>\n
After an apology from the anchor for not notifying the spokesperson beforehand, Rajab said the security forces were not responsible for the killing of Shatha Sabbagh and said investigations were ongoing. Following a further heated exchange with the anchor, Rajab accused Al Jazeera of \u201cinciting and leading sedition\u201d before leaving the interview. <\/p>\n
Al Jazeera said it was \u201castonished\u201d by the Palestinian Authority\u2019s decision and said the authority is \u201cfully responsible\u201d for the safety of the network\u2019s staff in the West Bank. The network demanded the authority revoke their decision and allow teams to continue their coverage in the area \u201cwithout intimidation.\u201d <\/p>\n
Others across the Palestinian territories echoed Al Jazeera\u2019s calls for rescinding the decision. <\/p>\n
Independent Palestinian politician and head of the Palestinian National Initiative Mostafa Al Barghouti said the network\u2019s Palestinian reporters \u201cface continuous assaults from the occupation\u201d and said the order against it \u201cdoes not benefit the Palestinian people or their just cause, nor does it benefit those who made this decision.\u201d <\/p>\n
The order also drew condemnation from the Palestinian Journalists\u2019 Protection Center, a Ramallah-based NGO that called the decision a \u201cshameful assault on press freedom.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hamas condemned the decision as \u201cillegal and unjustified.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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