The Palestinian authority announced Wednesday evening the suspension of the broadcasting and activities of the Qatari channel Al Jazeera in the West Bank. But why did the Palestinian authority make this choice? How did the Qatari channel react? 20 Minutes takes stock for you.
Why this choice?
According to the official Wafa news agency, the Palestinian Authority's decision stems from “Al Jazeera's insistence on broadcasting content and reporting characterized by disinformation, incitement to sedition and “interference in Palestinian internal affairs”, according to the same source.
On Thursday, the Palestinian Authority assured that this measure was “temporary”, and that it followed a complaint from the Palestinian Journalists Union. Mohammad Abou Jad, a spokesman for the Palestinian government, however, declared that “the measures will remain in force until Al Jazeera chooses to act in accordance with the fundamental ethics of journalism.”
This decision involves the suspension of broadcasting and the freezing of “all activities of the Al Jazeera channel and its bureau in Palestine”, as well as the interruption of work “of all journalists, employees, teams and affiliated channels”.
How did the channel react?
This Thursday, Al Jazeera denounced the decision, saying it was an “attempt to hide the reality” in the occupied West Bank. According to the Qatari channel, it comes at a time “when the Palestinian Authority is trying to dissuade Al Jazeera from covering the worsening events in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” and after “a campaign of intimidation” carried out against of its journalists.
What is happening in the West Bank?
The Palestinian Authority, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas, holds partial administrative authority in the West Bank, territory occupied by Israel since 1967. But for several weeks, its security forces have been involved in clashes in Jenin, in the north of the West Bank, with Palestinian armed factions, which left around ten dead. These groups, most of whose members belong to the Islamist movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad, consider themselves more effective in fighting Israel than the Palestinian Authority.
Al Jazeera, which claims the neutrality of its work, said Thursday that this suspension constituted “an attempt to hide the reality on the ground in the occupied territories, in particular in cities like Jenin and its refugee camp”.
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What are the international reactions?
“This decision sends a negative message to the public and journalists regarding press freedom, especially since the work of the media has significantly regressed,” said Amar Dweik, member of the Independent Palestinian Commission for Human Rights.
The Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem expressed “serious concerns” Thursday over the measure, which it said “raises serious questions about press freedom and democratic values in the region.” The organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on Thursday for the reversal of this decision, which it described as an “unacceptable act of censorship”.
