Al-Jazeera Banned in the West Bank
Al-Jazeera television has been banned from operating in Palestinian territory.
The Qatar-based Arabic news channel was banned in the West Bank by the Palestinian Authority Wednesday, after the government accused it of incitement for broadcasting allegations against PA President Mahmoud Abbas, according to news reports.
The allegations broadcast Tuesday and attributed to a senior Fatah official claimed that Abbas conspired with Israel to kill Yasser Arafat in 2003.
The Palestinian news service Ma’an quoted the Palestinian Authority Information Ministry as saying in a statement: “Al-Jazeera has always dedicated a wide portion of its transmission to incite against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. Despite repeated requests to be impartial in its coverage of Palestinian affairs, the station continued to incite against the PLO and the PA. The latest false news was aired yesterday.”
“We expect all media outlets operating in Palestine to practice their work in a way that does not contradict the Palestinian national interest and sovereignty of law,” the statement continued.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
