The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced the suspension of the operations of Al Jazeera Media Network, and the temporary suspension of all journalists, staff, and associated channels affiliated with the network in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, January 1.
The decision was made by a ministerial committee, composed of representatives from the Ministries of Culture, Interior, and Telecommunications, who accused Al Jazeera of repeatedly violating Palestinian laws and regulations by allegedly “broadcasting inciteful content, spreading misinformation, and interfering in internal Palestinian affairs”. The suspension is said to be temporary and “will remain in effect until the network addresses its legal status in accordance with Palestinian regulations”.
The committee further claimed that Al Jazeera stirred division and instability between Palestinians by such acts. One day before the decision was announced, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) issued a statement, claiming that it received complaints from several journalist colleagues against Al Jazeera over its “biased media coverage”, which included “incitement, misleading reports, and content that stirs internal discord”.
Consequently the syndicate referred the complaints to the Ethics Committee, which concluded after a several-days “professional and objective” investigation that Al Jazeera’s published materials “constitute hate speech, and contain misinformation, posing a threat to Palestinian social cohesion.
The Ethics Committee further accused Al Jazeera of “using an AI-generated image” showing a rifle that is not used by the PA’s security forces. It also accused Al Jazeera’s 360 platform of broadcasting “dramatized scenes within a theatrical context, creating a false impression among viewers and reinforcing its inflammatory news content”.
The suspension of the network’s operation was criticized by Al Jazeera, rights groups, and Palestinian movements as being part of the PA’s attempt to impose a media blackout amid the large-scale security campaign carried out by its security forces against the Jenin refugee camp.
During its one-month campaign and stifling siege, the PA has reportedly prohibited foreign media outlets from entering the camp. Some allege that it is a bid to cover up crimes committed against Palestinian citizens there.
Residents of Jenin refugee camp and Palestinian grassroots in occupied Palestine and in the diaspora accused Mahmoud Abbas’s administration of conspiring with Israel and the United States to crush resistance in the West Bank by launching the campaign in Jenin. In addition, the PA appeared to be suppressing the Palestinian people’s freedom of expression through social media networks and even that of journalists.
Palestinian female journalist Shatha al-Sabbagh was shot dead by a sniper from the PA’s security forces in Jenin refugee camp on Saturday, December 28. Shatha’s mother accused the PA of deliberately assassinating her daughter because of interviews she had conducted one day prior to her death with families in the camp regarding the current security campaign.
Incidents of verbal and physical abuse perpetrated by PA’s security personnel against Palestinian citizens who have criticized the campaign in Jenin online, have also been reported.
For its part, Al Jazeera slammed the PA for the decision on Wednesday, January 1, saying that the move is “in line with the [Israeli] occupation’s actions against its staff”. In a statement issued on Thursday, January 2, the Qatar-based network denounced freezing its work and coverage in the West Bank, and considered this decision “nothing but an attempt to dissuade the channel from covering the rapidly escalating events taking place in the occupied territories.” It also said that the PA’s decision was made as a result of “the ongoing campaign of incitement and intimidation by parties associated with the Palestinian Authority against Al Jazeera’s journalists and correspondents.”
“The decision to freeze Al Jazeera’s work and prevent its journalists from conducting their duties is an attempt to hide the truth about events in the occupied territories, especially what is happening in Jenin and its camps,” the statement reads.
“Al Jazeera Media Network holds the Palestinian Authority fully responsible for the safety and security of all its employees in the West Bank. Al Jazeera also calls on the Palestinian Authority to immediately retract and cancel the decision taken by the relevant ministries and to allow it and its teams to cover freely from the West Bank without any threats or intimidation,” Al Jazeera added, stressing that the decision “will not deter it from its commitment to continue its professional coverage of events and developments in the West Bank.”
National and international condemnation
Al Jazeera’s suspension was criticized by Palestinian movements. While Hamas described the move as “a flagrant violation against freedom of press and a suppressive muzzling behavior,” the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said that the decision was made “at a time, during which the Palestinian people and their cause are in great need of a heard voice, capable of transmitting their suffering to the world.”
Meanwhile, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) considered the decision “a violation against the freedom of press, which falls in the interest of the Israeli occupation.” The Palestinian National Initiative stated that such a decision will not be “useful for the Palestinian people and their just cause, emphasizing that “Al Jazeera is the media outlet, which has been covering the Palestinian struggle and exposing the crimes of the Israeli occupation the most, and in all languages.”
Furthermore, the Popular Resistance Committees described the decision as “unjust” and that it “violates the Palestinian constitution that guarantees the freedom and protection of journalistic work and journalists”.
Palestinian and International rights groups and activists also denounced the suspension of Al Jazeera. Speaking to AFP on Thursday, Amar Dweik, a member of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights, called for the decision to be reversed. “This decision sends negative messages to the public and journalists about media freedom, especially since media work has been significantly regressing, particularly after the military operation in Jenin camp,” Dweik said.
On Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) denounced the decision, urging the PA to lift its ban on Al Jazeera. CPJ’s Chief Executive Officer Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement: “Governments resort to censoring news outlets when they have something to hide.” “The Palestinian Authority should reverse its decision to suspend Al Jazeera’s operations and allow journalists to report freely without fear of reprisal,” she added.
The wide-condemnation by right groups and press freedom organizations seems to have led the PJS to rethink its strong-worded statement issued against the network on Tuesday. The syndicate issued another statement on Wednesday urging the Ministerial Committee “to rescind its decision to temporarily suspend Al Jazeera’s operations in Palestine, and to meet with the syndicate to consider its position, which emphasizes the necessity of protecting journalistic and public freedoms in accordance with the law.”
The syndicate further called for “adherence to professional ethical standards as a foundation for initiating a professional dialogue with Al Jazeera’s management,” while also demanding the network to “declare its readiness for dialogue and to stop its policy of incitement.”
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined its affiliate the PJS in urging the Palestinian Authority to reverse its decision on Thursday. IFJ condemned the decision, considering it “a clear attack on media freedom and the public’s right to know”.
Siege of Jenin continues
As the PA’s crackdown on media continues, the siege on Jenin refugee camp is still stifling its residents. Fierce clashes between the PA’s security forces and resistance groups have reportedly been taking place in the camp, where tens of thousands of people have been deprived of water, electricity, and the access to oil products, which they need during one of the coldest months of the year.
The PA has relentlessly attempted to show that it has garnered popular support in its campaign through its media mouthpieces, and by obliging government employees to take part in pro-PA demonstrations. Nonetheless, many Palestinians in the West Bank have been speaking up about their rejection of the campaign.
On Wednesday, dignitaries of the Palestinian tribes of Hebron (Al-Khalil) governorate, in the southern occupied West Bank gathered and said in a video statement that their tribes have not authorized the PA to lead an infighting and kill any Palestinian citizens. The tribes stressed that they categorically reject the security campaign in Jenin, and that they only support fighting against occupation for the sake of liberating Palestine and Al-Aqsa mosque.
Death toll from the PA’s ongoing security campaign in Jenin refugee camp
On Friday, January 3, two members of al-Hajj al-Jalqamousi family were killed in Jenin refugee camp, while a third member was seriously injured. Mahmoud (43) and his son Qasam (14) were shot dead by a sniper from the PA’s security forces, who was stationed on a hill overlooking the camp, according to the family of the victims and eyewitnesses.
Mahmoud and his son were at the rooftop of their house filling their water containers when the attack was launched. Mahmoud’s daughter sustained a critical injury in the attack with no further information reported about her name or age.
The PِA claimed that “outlaws” stationed in Al-Ansar mosque, which is located in the same neighborhood of the camp, were responsible for killing the two Palestinian citizens.
However, eyewitnesses and media reporters refuted the claim, taking footage from the site of the crime, which showed that the mosque that the PA spoke about does not overlook the house of the victims from any direction.
After Mahmoud and Qasam were murdered, the death toll of Palestinian citizens killed in the PA’s security campaign on the camp has risen to eight people, including three children, and a female journalist. At least six personnel from the PA’s security forces have also been killed in the campaign so far.
