GENEVA: The United Nations on Thursday urged the Palestinian Authority to “reverse course” after it suspended broadcasts by Qatar-based Al Jazeera, accusing the network of incitement.

“We are deeply concerned by Palestinian Authority’s suspension of Al Jazeera operations and reporters in the West Bank amid troubling trend of suppressing freedom of opinion and expression” in the Palestinian territories, the UN human rights office said on X.

The Palestinian Authority ordered the suspension of Al Jazeera. The PA, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank, said its decision followed a complaint from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate concerning Al Jazeera’s coverage and said the suspension was a temporary move.

“These measures shall be applied until Al Jazeera chooses to act in accordance with basic media ethics, including its duty to prevent deliberate disinformation, ban the glorification of violence, and end the incitement to armed mutiny,” the PA said.

Journalists syndicate says there were complaints against the channel of ‘biased media coverage on its platforms’

UN human rights office said in its post “we urge PA to reverse the course and respect its international law obligations”. Germany’s foreign ministry also denounced the Palestinian Authority’s suspension of Al Jazeera’s broadcast in a statement.

“The Palestinian Authority’s ban on Al Jazeera’s work in the West Bank is deeply worrying,” it said in a post on X. “Press freedom is a precious asset. Free reporting must also be guaranteed in conflict situations.”

Al Jazeera is already banned from broadcasting from Israel, part of a long-running feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The Palestinian Journalists syndicate, which represents about 3,000 Palestinian journalists, said several had filed complaints against Al Jazeera for “biased media coverage on its platforms, including incitement, misleading reports, and content that stirs internal discord”.

The PA’s decision includes “temporarily freezing the work of all journalists, employees, crews and affiliated channels until their legal status is rectified due to Al Jazeera’s violations of the laws and regulations in force in Palestine”, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported late Wednesday.

The channel aired images of what appeared to be Palestinian security officers entering the network’s office in Ramallah and handing over the suspension orders.

Al Jazeera condemned the decision, saying it “aligns with Israeli occupation practices targeting its media teams”.

It accused the PA, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank, of “attempting to deter Al Jazeera from covering escalating events in the occupied Palestinian territories” including in Jenin and its refugee camp. The PA’s security forces have been engaged in weeks of deadly clashes with armed fighters in Jenin, in the northern West Bank.

The move has been condemned by press watchdogs also. Amar Dweik, a member of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights, called for the decision to be reversed.

“This decision sends negative messages to the public and journalists about media freedom, especially since media work has been significantly regressing, particularly after the military operation in Jenin camp,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2025