The Palestinian Authority has announced that it has suspended the broadcast of the famous Arabic channel Al Jazeera in parts of the occupied West Bank, citing incitement and bias.
Qatar-owned Al Jazeera expressed shock and condemned the decision as “an attempt to hide the truth about the events in the occupied territories”.
It linked the closure to news coverage of a recent major crackdown by Palestinian security forces against armed Islamist groups in the Jenin refugee camp, where at least 11 people were killed.
Al Jazeera, which is widely watched by Palestinians, especially for its comprehensive coverage of the war in Gaza, has already been suspended in Arabic and English in Israel.
For the second time in months, Al Jazeera broadcast the scene from its own office in Ramallah as security forces enter and order its closure. Last year, Israeli soldiers invaded, and this time the Palestinian police moved in.
On Wednesday night, a uniformed officer was shown handing an official order to an Al Jazeera correspondent, who read it and signed it.
Fatah, the Palestinian faction that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), accused the Al Jazeera network of sowing division in “our Arab homeland in general and Palestine in particular.” Al Jazeera insists it is impartial.
The PA, which cooperates with Israel on security issues, has become increasingly unpopular with the Palestinian public and has little control over the urban refugee camp in Jenin, historically seen as a stronghold for armed groups.
Since early December, his forces have been fighting members of the Jenin Battalion, most of whom are affiliated with Islamic Jihad, or Hamas, whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. sparked a war in Gaza.
Analysts say the PA is trying to reassert its power in the West Bank and prove its potential value to a future Trump administration. They suggest he may also want to demonstrate his ability to take a role in the future governance of Gaza.
However, the ongoing events drew condemnation from many Palestinians.
“Al Jazeera successfully maintained its professionalism throughout its coverage of the unfolding events in Jenin,” it said in a statement earlier this week.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the Al Jazeera network was deemed to be in violation of Palestinian laws and regulations and its operations were temporarily suspended. The suspension order applies to all the work of its journalists and employees.
The network has been accused of broadcasting “inciting material” and “misleading reports” that “provok discord and interfere in the internal affairs of Palestine,” Wafa said.
Israel's parliament voted to shut down Al Jazeera in Israel last May, saying it threatened national security. Israeli police then raided a hotel room in Jerusalem used by Al Jazeera to broadcast, and some of its equipment was confiscated. The channel's Arab staff moved to the West Bank.
In September, Israeli troops ordered Al Jazeera's Ramallah office in the West Bank to close for 45 days, alleging it was being used to support terrorist activities.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have often accused Al Jazeera of being a mouthpiece for Hamas.
Israel has also accused Al Jazeera staff in Gaza of belonging to the Islamist group. In July, the Israeli military killed Ismail al-Ghul, an Al Jazeera reporter in Gaza City, claiming he was a member of Hamas' armed wing. Al Jazeera categorically denies all the allegations.
There is also a long history of hostility between Al Jazeera and the PA, with some PA officials accusing it of showing support for Hamas, Fatah's political rival.
In 2011 Al Jazeera's publication of the so-called Palestine Papers, a leak of confidential files detailing years of negotiations between Israel and Palestinian outfits, embarrassed PA officials, who accused the network of distortion. The documents purported to show offers of major concessions to Israel.
Some Palestinian journalists have criticized the PA's decision to ban Al Jazeera, saying it comes amid an increasingly authoritarian crackdown on dissent. The Foreign Press Association expressed “serious concern” about the action, saying it “raises serious questions about press freedom and democratic values in the region.”