Palestinian Authority lifts ban on Al Jazeera in West Bank

The Palestinian Authority (PA) yesterday lifted its ban on the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera and its staff in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The suspension, which had come into place in January, was justified by the PA on grounds of what it called “repeated violations of Palestinian laws and regulations.”

Al Jazeera had faced criticism from the Palestinian Authority and the ruling Fatah movement, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, for what they viewed as biased reporting and “incitement”.

At the time of the suspension, Al Jazeera said the move was “an attempt to deter the channel from covering the rapidly escalating developments” in the West Bank, where PA security forces were supporting Israeli occupation soldiers in suppressing the resistance.

The PA’s ban on the channel came months after Israeli occupation forces raided and closed Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority.

Al Jazeera has been banned in Israel since May 2024, when the Israeli government shut down the network’s operations, closed its offices, confiscated its broadcasting equipment, removed the channel from satellite and cable networks, and blocked access to its website.