Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera broadcasts

Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera broadcasts over incitement, sparking condemnation from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The Palestinian Authority has ordered the suspension of broadcasts by Qatar-based Al Jazeera across the Palestinian territories, accusing the network of incitement, official media reported.

Al Jazeera is already banned from broadcasting from Israel amid a long-running feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

In September, armed and masked Israeli forces also raided the Al Jazeera office in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, saying it was "used to incite terror." The military issued an initial 45-day closure order, prompting the Palestinian foreign ministry to condemn "a flagrant violation" of press freedom.

Late Wednesday, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said "Al Jazeera's insistence on broadcasting inciting content and reports characterised by misinformation, incitement, sedition and interference in Palestinian internal affairs" led to its suspension.

An Al Jazeera employee contacted by AFP confirmed that the network's office in Ramallah had received a suspension order on Wednesday.

"The specialised ministerial committee, comprising the ministries of culture, interior and communications, has decided to suspend broadcasts and freeze all activities of Al Jazeera satellite channel and its office in Palestine," Wafa reported.

"The decision also 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," it said.