Hamas and Islamic Jihad condemn the Palestinian Authority’s suspension of Al-Jazeera
Hamas called the Palestinian Authority’s decision to suspend the Al-Jazeera channel in the Palestinian territories a “blatant violation of press freedom” and“repressive act intended to silence dissonant voices”.
“This decision is in line with a recent series of arbitrary measures taken by the Authority to hinder public rights and freedoms, and strengthen its security hold over the Palestinian people”added the Islamist movement in a statement, calling on the Palestinian Authority to “return your decision immediately”.
The Palestinian Authority, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas, holds partial administrative authority in the West Bank, territory occupied by Israel since 1967. Its security forces have been involved for several weeks in violent clashes in Jenin with armed factions, which have already made a ten deaths.
These groups, most of whose members belong to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another armed Palestinian group, consider themselves more effective in fighting Israel than the Palestinian Authority.
Islamic Jihad also protested the ban on Al-Jazeera. “We condemn the decision of the authorities to close the Al-Jazeera bureau in Palestine, when our people and our cause urgently need to make their suffering known to the whole world”declared, in a press release, the organization which participated in the attack of October 7, 2023 in Israel.
Al-Jazeera denounced last week a ” campaign “ of Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement against it in the occupied West Bank. “This campaign follows the channel’s coverage of clashes between security forces and armed resistance in Jenin”explained the Qatari channel, which defended the neutrality of its work.
