Palestinian Authority Axes Al Jazeera’s Broadcasts in Judea and Samaria

Thursday, 2 January 2025 | The Palestinian Authority [PA] announced further restrictions against Al Jazeera on Wednesday evening, suspending the Qatari state-owned network’s broadcasts throughout Judea and Samaria and banning its journalists from operating in all areas under the control of the PA.

Ramallah decided to block Al Jazeera and “suspend the work [permits] of all journalists, employees, crews and channels affiliated with it,” Wafa, the PA’s official news outlet, announced.

This move came after Al Jazeera aired “incitement and false reports that stir internal unrest and interfere in internal Palestinian affairs,” it added.

Last month, the PA’s ruling party banned Al Jazeera from operating in northern Samaria over its glorification of Iranian-backed terror groups.

Fatah said it banned the channel from broadcasting from Samaria’s Jenin Governorate, where the majority of the territory is controlled by the PA, while urging Palestinians to boycott the Qatari network.

Ramallah accused Al Jazeera of playing a “dangerous role” through its coverage of the ongoing clashes between PA forces and Iranian-backed terrorists in the city of Jenin. In a statement quoted by local media, Fatah blamed Al Jazeera for “discord” among Palestinians.

Al Jazeera in a subsequent statement condemned what it said was a “campaign of incitement” against the channel and its Jenin reporter, Mohamad Atrash, over the coverage of clashes between the PA and Iranian-backed Palestinian “resistance fighters” in northern Samaria. 

JNS sought comment from the US Department of State on Wednesday evening regarding the PA’s move, but did not hear back by press time.

On May 6, Matthew Miller, the US State Department spokesman, said Washington was “quite concerned” by Israel’s decision to close down Al Jazeera‘s operations in the Jewish state due to its support for terrorism.

“We have made quite clear that we support media freedom all around the world, including in Israel,” Miller stated. “We think Al Jazeera ought to be able to operate in Israel, as it does in other countries in the region.”

Israel’s decision to outlaw Al Jazeera was preceded by similar moves by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

On September 22, Israeli soldiers served Al Jazeera’s office in the Samaria city of Ramallah with a temporary closure order, which Hamas condemned.

Al Jazeera “is a media outlet that disseminates false content, which includes incitement against Israelis and Jews and constitutes a threat to Israel Defense Forces soldiers,” Nitzan Chen, the director of Israel’s Government Press Office, which is part of the Prime Minister’s Office, said in September.