The Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah party has banned Al Jazeera from operating in northern Samaria over its glorification of Iranian-backed terrorist groups, the Qatari state network said on Tuesday.
Ramallah has accused Al Jazeera of playing a “dangerous role” through its coverage of the ongoing clashes between P.A. forces and Iranian-backed terrorists in the Samaria city of Jenin. In a statement quoted by local media, Fatah blamed Al Jazeera for “discord” among Palestinians.
Fatah said it banned the channel from broadcasting from Samaria’s Jenin Governorate, where the majority of the territory is controlled by the P.A., while urging Palestinians to boycott the Qatari network.
The P.A. this month launched a rare counter-terror raid in Jenin, where Ramallah for years refused to act against Iranian-backed terrorist groups, in violation of its commitments under the Oslo Accords.
Ramallah launched its operation, dubbed “Defense of the Homeland,” following the Dec. 5 seizure by Hamas and Islamic Jihad of a P.A. vehicle and amid fears that terrorists in the Samaria city could attempt a coup inspired by the takedown of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.
Al Jazeera in a statement on Tuesday condemned what it said was a “campaign of incitement” against the network and its Jenin correspondent, Mohamad Atrash, over the coverage of clashes between the P.A. and Iranian-backed Palestinian “resistance fighters” in northern Samaria.
The Qatari broadcaster claimed it maintains professional standards by always citing “the voices of both the Palestinian resistance and the Spokesperson of the Palestinian National Security Forces.”
The network said it “holds Fatah, Palestinian National Security Forces, and relevant institutions of the Palestinian Authority accountable for any harm that may befall Mohamad Atrash or any of Al Jazeera journalists.”
In April, Israeli lawmakers voted 71-10 for a law that gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government the power to shut down Al Jazeera‘s operations in the Jewish state, including in Judea and Samaria.
The legislation states that the communications minister may act against any foreign channel that harms Israel’s state security, with the approval of the prime minister and the consent of the Security Cabinet.
The measures enable authorities to order television providers to stop broadcasting the outlet, close its offices in Israel, seize its equipment, shut down its website, and revoke press credentials for staff.
Al Jazeera “is a media outlet that disseminates false content, which includes incitement against Israelis and Jews and constitutes a threat to IDF soldiers,” Nitzan Chen, the director of Israel’s Government Press Office, which is part of the Prime Minister’s Office, said in September.
On Sept. 22, Israeli soldiers served Al Jazeera‘s office in the Samaria city of Ramallah with a temporary closure order, which Hamas condemned.
Israel’s decision to outlaw Al Jazeera was preceded by similar moves by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.