Al Jazeera condemns the Palestinian Authority’s closure of its office in the West Bank, considering it an act of sympathy with the occupation

Al Jazeera Network condemned the Palestinian Authority’s closure of the channel’s office in the West Bank, considering it a step consistent with the practices of the Israeli occupation against its crews, and in harmony with the Israeli government’s decision to close its office in Ramallah.

The network condemned the Palestinian Authority's decision to freeze its work and coverage in the West Bank, and considered the decision an attempt to dissuade it from covering the escalating events taking place in the occupied territories.

She added that the closure decision comes in the wake of an ongoing campaign of incitement and intimidation by parties sponsored by the Palestinian Authority against the network's journalists, and that the decision to prevent its journalists from continuing their work is an attempt to hide the truth of events in the occupied territories, especially in Jenin and its camp.

The network expressed its surprise at this step, which comes amid the war on Gaza and the occupation’s targeting and killing of Palestinian journalists. It held the Palestinian Authority fully responsible for the safety and security of all network employees in the West Bank.

I grew up listening to the voice of #Aljazeera and I grew up in it.. and these minutes were among the most difficult situations I dealt with during my work.
But as Imam Al-Shafi'i said: "It became tight, but when its rings were tightened, it was relieved.. and I thought it would not be relieved." It will be relieved, God willing. pic.twitter.com/WMvR6H2RgZ

- Najwan Simri Najwan Simri (@SimriNajwan) January 1, 2025

Al Jazeera Network also called on the Palestinian Authority to immediately cancel the decision and allow its teams to cover the West Bank freely without intimidation, noting that the Authority’s decision will not stop the network’s commitment to continue covering events and developments in the West Bank with complete professionalism.

On Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority decided to stop broadcasting Al Jazeera and freeze the work of its office and employees in Palestine, claiming that the channel violated Palestinian laws.

The Palestinian News Agency said that "the decision came after Al Jazeera's tampering and interference in Palestinian internal affairs and broadcasting provocative material and reports that are misleading and incite sedition," according to its expression.

She added that "the decision to stop Al Jazeera's broadcast came because it violated the laws and regulations in force in Palestine," according to her claim, noting that the channel's broadcast will be stopped temporarily "until its legal status is corrected."

The Palestinian Authority's decision comes after the occupation authorities closed the Al Jazeera office in Ramallah in the West Bank last September and raided it under a military order, after which they confiscated all equipment and documents in the office and prevented its employees from using their cars.

Last May, the Israeli government approved a proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi to close Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel. The decision will go into immediate effect upon the signature of the Communications Minister, under what is called the “Al Jazeera Law.”

(Al Jazeera)