On Wednesday, the PA accused the network of broadcasting reports that are “misleading, foster discord and interfere” in Palestinian internal affairs and suspended the network’s operations in the West Bank, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The PA is fighting with Hamas and other terrorist groups for control of parts of the West Bank in the battle for leading the Palestinians. Following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, the IDF has eliminated most of the terrorist group’s leadership and members, leaving a power vacuum in Gaza which the Palestinian Authority hopes to fill. The PA has accused Al Jazeera of being too sympathetic to Hamas and critical of its efforts to crack down on terrorists, fearing Israel will focus the majority of its might on the West Bank when the IDF is done in Gaza.
Last year, Israel banned the network and accused some of its journalists of being Palestinian terrorists under a new law that gives Israel the power to ban foreign news organizations deemed to be a threat to national security. Some who criticized the move as undemocratic were silent when the PA followed suit months later.
Arab governments in the Middle East have also been critical of Al Jazeera, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, claiming the Qatar-based network is favorable to terrorist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood.
Al Jazeera was founded in 1996 and would frequently air terrorist groups others would not, including the Taliban and al Qaeda.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt demanded Qatar close Al Jazeera in 2017 due to the network’s support of terrorist groups, including Hamas.
In 2020, the Trump administration ordered Al Jazeera affiliate AJ+ to register as a foreign agent of Qatar, which funds the network.
