Al Jazeera slams West Bank suspension

The broadcaster Al Jazeera has slammed a decision to suspend them from the West Bank over national security concerns.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) said the network could no longer operate in the West Bank only months after Israel also closed its office in Ramallah.

The PA said the decision was taken on Wednesday over “inciting material” and “reports that were deceiving and stirring strife”.

Al Jazeera is already barred from Jenin in the northern West Bank, where it is reported that Palestinian security forces recently clashed with armed groups linked to Hamas.

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In a statement, Al Jazeera called the decision “nothing but an attempt to dissuade the channel from covering the rapidly escalating events taking place in the occupied territories.”

“The decision comes following the ongoing campaign of incitement and intimidation by parties associated with the Palestinian Authority against Al Jazeera’s journalists and correspondents.

“The decision to freeze Al Jazeera’s work and prevent its journalists from conducting their duties is an attempt to hide the truth about events in the occupied territories, especially what is happening in Jenin and its camps.

“And - unfortunately - such a decision comes align with previous action taken by the Israeli government, which closed Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah.”

The Israeli Communication Minister Shlomo Karhi has described Al Jazeera in the past as “the mouthpiece of Hamas and Hezbollah,” which the network strongly denies.

Tensions had already existed after Israel’s army admitted there was a “high possibility” that Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by one of their troops in the West Bank city of Jenin in May 2022.