The Fatah movement has announced that it is prohibiting Al Jazeera from operating within areas of Judea and Samaria controlled by the Palestinian Authority, accusing the network of “spreading conflicts and inciting,” according to Walla! The decision was made amidst ongoing violence in Jenin, where Palestinian Authority security forces are engaged in clashes with terrorists linked to the Islamic Jihad. Palestinian Arab sources reported that the ban applies to Al Jazeera’s activities in Jenin, Tubas, Shechem, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Salfit.
For about three weeks, Palestinian Arab security forces have been battling armed terrorists in Jenin. Fatah holds Al Jazeera responsible for exacerbating tensions and supporting armed groups, including Hamas. “We have decided to ban the entry of Al Jazeera, and we urge the public to avoid engaging with this channel in any way,” a Fatah statement quoted by Walla! said. “Al Jazeera plays a dangerous role in Palestine. It spreads hatred and incites civil war. Al Jazeera sides with lawbreakers and tries to portray them as heroes fighting the occupation.”
Al Jazeera has previously been banned by Israel after it was revealed that one of its reporters was a Hamas commander. In September, the IDF shut down the channel’s offices in Ramallah, explaining that the decision followed consultations with the political leadership and the Attorney General, as it was determined that Al Jazeera’s broadcasts posed a threat to national security. In October, the IDF released intelligence and documents discovered in Gaza that confirmed the affiliation of six Al Jazeera journalists with Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terror organizations.
{Matzav.com Israel}