PA shuts down Al-Jazeera's West Bank offices

IMRA
Published today (updated) 15/07/2009 16:43
www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=212107

Al-Jazeera is the news network of choice for Palestinians

Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian Authority (PA) decided on Wednesday to sue the popular Qatar-based satellite channel Al-Jazeera station and shut down its operation in the West Bank, accusing them of "incitement and false information."

(I certainly can't find anything to disagree with here but can only imagine if the GPO did this. Danny, what do you think? Can we give it a try?)

The Palestinian Information Ministry said in a statement, "Al-Jazeera has
always dedicated a wide portion of its broadcasts to incitement against the
Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. Despite
repeated requests to be impartial in its coverage of Palestinian affairs,
the station continued to incite against the PLO and the PA. The latest false
news was aired yesterday."

At the same time, the PA stated a commitment to freedom of the press in Palestine. "We expect all media outlets operating in Palestine to go about their work in a way that does not contradict the Palestinian national interest and rule of law," the statement read.

For its part, Al-Jazeera expressed astonishment at the PA decision.

Responding to the decision, the Palestinian Media Forum (PMF) called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to reverse the decision describing it as restricting freedom of press.

"The Palestinian information ministry should honor Al-Jazeera teams for their efforts in exposing Israeli crimes in the Palestinian territories rather than shutting down its offices just as Israel did before," a statement by the PMF said.

The statement pointed out that Al-Jazeera was the only station to expose "the false democracy which some Arab countries claim."

The closure of Al-Jazeera offices, the PMF asserted, was a political decision which has nothing to do with the professional performance of Al-Jazeera teams.

There is speculation that the suit is related to comments aired by the station on Tuesday by senior Fatah member Farouq Qaddoumi, who accused President Abbas of involvement in an alleged plot to kill Yasser Arafat.
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