Palestinian Authority Suspends Operations Of Al-Jazeera In Its Territory, Accusing It Of Spreading Incitement And Disinformation

On January 1, 2025, the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced the  suspension of the operations of the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel in Palestine, and the closing of its office there, on the grounds that the channel airs incitement against the PA. A joint committee of the culture, interior and telecommunications ministries decided to halt the channel's broadcasts and freeze the activity of all journalists and staff working with it. Following the decision, the PA Attorney General sent a letter to the Al-Jazeera office in Palestine, informing them of the decision and ordering them to comply with it.

The PA has long been furious with Al-Jazeera for its coverage, which is biased in favor of the Palestinian terror organizations, chief of them Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Its dissatisfaction peaked in the recent weeks amid the military campaign that the PA is waging in Jenin, in the northern West Bank, against the Jenin Brigade, a terror militia comprising members of various organizations that has become entrenched there in the last few years. Al-Jazeera's coverage of this military campaign has been biased against the activity of the PA security apparatuses and has provided a platform to spokespersons of the Jenin Brigades and the terror organizations, giving rise to harsh criticism against the channel in the official PA press.[1]  

The Fatah movement, whose activists in Jenin banned Al-Jazeera's reporters from entering the governorate even prior to the decision to suspend the channel's broadcasts, expressed support for this decision. It explained that Al-Jazeera has been suspended because it airs inciting content and disinformation in the service of the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of Hamas. The decision is also aimed at protecting public order and the Palestinian people, it added.

The Al-Jazeera Network, for its part, issued a statement condemning the PA's decision, describing it as a measure that benefits Israel and as "an attempt to hide the truth about what is happening in the occupied territories, especially in Jenin and its refugee camp."[2] Hamas and the PIJ likewise denounced the PA's decision.[3]

This reports presents the PA's measures against Al-Jazeera.

Palestinian Ministerial Committee Suspends Al-Jazeera Broadcasts

On January 1, 2025, the Palestinian news agency WAFA  announced that a ministerial committee comprising representatives from the ministries of culture, interior and telecommunication has decided to "halt the broadcasts of the Al-Jazeera channel, suspend the operation of its office in Palestine, and  suspend the work of all journalists employed by it and staff associated with it temporarily, until the channel's legal status is resolved, on the grounds that the channel is in violation of applicable laws and regulations in Palestine." 

WAFA added that the decision was taken "due to Al-Jazeera's insistence on spreading inciting content and misleading reports, encouraging internal strife, and undermining and interfering in internal Palestinian affairs."[4]

Palestinian Attorney General Orders Al-Jazeera To Comply With Decision To Shut Down Its Operations And Office In Palestine

Following the decision of the ministerial committee, Palestinian Attorney General Akram Al-Khatib dispatched a letter to Al-Jazeera's Palestine office informing it of the decision to "halt broadcasting and freeze all operations" of the channel and its office in Palestine. The letter read:

"Further to the letter of the Honorable Minister of Culture from January 1, 2025, which refers to the decision of the tripartite committee authorized to license terrestrial and satellite radio and television channels, which [resolved] to halt the broadcasting of the Al-Jazeera satellite channel, freeze all operations of its office in Palestine, and also freeze the activity of all journalists working with it and of the teams and channels belonging to it, on a temporary basis until [the channel's] status is resolved, on the grounds that you have violated the provisions of the applicable laws and regulations – I therefore attach the letter of the Minister of Culture that is based on the decision of the authorized tripartite committee, so that you implement the content of the published decision and comply with it, under penalty of legal accountability."[5]

The Attorney General's letter to Al-Jazeera's Palestine office

Fatah: Al-Jazeera's Operations Were Suspended Due To Incitement And To Maintain Public Order

Fatah welcomed the decision to suspend Al-Jazeera's broadcasts on the grounds that it airs incitement. In fact, the movement's activists in Jenin banned Al-Al-Jazeera's reporters from entering the governorate even prior to the publication of this decision.[6] A statement issued by Fatah spokesperson Abd Al-Fattah Dolah following the decision said: "We express our full support for the decision of the [PA] ministerial committee to halt the broadcasts of the Al-Jazeera channel and temporarily freeze its activities in Palestine. We view this decision as a necessary step to maintain public order and protect our national unity, in light of inciting discourse that exceeds the boundaries of journalistic professionalism. The reasons for this decision are clear:

1. Tension among the people: The inciting rhetoric adopted by Al-Jazeera sparks popular anger which has reached a level that threatens public order and internal stability.

2.  Disinformation in coverage of the Israeli aggression against Gaza and the northern West Bank...

3. Blatant intervention in the Jenin events: Al-Jazeera adopted the narrative of one side [i.e., of the Jenin Brigade militia] at the expense of the truth, while flagrantly ignoring the just Palestinian narrative [of the PA], which raises doubts about its intentions and agendas.

4. A long history of incitement: Al-Jazeera has a extensive record of attempts to cast doubt on [the PA] and accuse [it] of treason...

"Al-Jazeera has focused heavily on attempts to harm the PLO, and used its discourse to further the agendas of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has always sought to destroy the Palestinian national enterprise. The Palestinian people and its institutions have always supported the freedom of the press, but this freedom does not mean [sanctioning] chaos or the use of media platforms to promote incitement and cause harm. The decision to halt Al-Jazeera's [operations] is meant to defend our unity and our national institutions, and comes in response to [the channel's] ongoing attempts to destroy our regime, as it did when it covered the 2007 [Hamas] coup [against the PA], presenting it as an 'Islamic victory.' We call on Al-Jazeera to reconsider its editorial policy and resolve its legal status in accordance with Palestinian law and professional [journalistic] ethics, while eschewing incitement and disinformation. This decision was made in response to a supreme national interest and constitutes a vital step to protect the national conscience and the Palestinian people."[7]

Fatah And Its Officials Slam Al-Jazeera On X

Fatah's criticism of Al-Jazeera also found expression in posts and graphics published on Fatah-affiliated X accounts. Fatah official Mounir Al-Jaghoub shared the Attorney General's letter to Al-Jazeera, along with a cartoon that portrays the channel as sparking fitna (internal strife).[8]

A picture posted on Fatah's X account showed people trampling a page featuring the Al-Jazeera logo and a cartoon of a long-nosed pig labeled "Al-Hanzeera" (a play on the channel's name and the Arabic word for pig). The accompanying text read "The decision has been made. The Qatari Al-Jazeera [channel is being trampled] under the feet of the Palestinian people."[9]

Another post on Fatah's X account said: "In Palestine there is no room for spies," along with a screenshot from an Al-Jazeera broadcast reporting the decision to suspend the channel's operations in Palestine.[10]