The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday temporarily suspended Al Jazeera broadcasts across the Palestinian territories, according to media reports.
A ministerial committee suspended the broadcaster’s operations over what it described as broadcasting “inciting material and reports that were deceiving and stirring strife” in the territories. The committee included the culture, interior and communications ministries.
The Qatari-owned Al Jazeera came under criticism last week by the Palestinian Authority over its coverage of the weeks-long standoff between Palestinian security forces and militant fighters in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
Fatah, the political faction that controls the Palestinian Authority, said the broadcaster was fostering division in “our Arab homeland in general and in Palestine in particular.” It encouraged Palestinians to not cooperate with the network.
Last week, Al Jazeera condemned what it described as an “incitement campaign” initiated by Fatah against Al Jazeera and its reporters over their coverage of clashes between Palestinian security forces and militant fighters in Jenin.
“Al Jazeera has successfully maintained its professionalism throughout its coverage of the unfolding events in Jenin,” Al Jazeera said in the statement.
The Palestinian Authority’s decision to suspend Al Jazeera isn’t expected to be implemented in Hamas-run Gaza, where the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority does not exercise power.
Al Jazeera did not immediately reply to VOA’s email requesting comment.
This suspension is the latest of several recent challenges that Al Jazeera has faced in the occupied West Bank and Israel.
In September 2024, Israeli soldiers raided Al Jazeera’s Ramallah office in the occupied West Bank and ordered the bureau to shut down operations.
And in May 2024, the Israeli government shutdown Al Jazeera in Israel over national security concerns.
