Al Jazeera’s offices in Ramallah were closed in September 2024 after Israeli directives the channel should close earlier in the year [Zain Jaafar/AFP via Getty]
Fatah has banned Al Jazeera crews from reporting in the north of the occupied West Bank for “sowing discord and inciting internal strife” amid the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) crackdown assault on Jenin.
The decision was issued on Monday and extends to the governorates of Jenin, Tubas, Nablus, Tulkarem, Qalqiliya and Salfit – areas Palestinian fighters and resistance groups are considered active.
The ban is being issued amid unprecedented and escalating violence between the Fatah-led PA and Palestinian fighters in Jenin and its refugee camp – which came under siege by PA forces on 6 December.
Five have been killed so far in the standoff, which the PA claims is targeting “outlaws” and “militants” – but which Palestinian experts say actually aims to completely dismantle armed resistance groups, particularly the Jenin Brigades.
Banning Al Jazeera
“We have decided to ban Al Jazeera from entering Tubas […], and we call on our people not to engage with this channel in any way,” read Fatah’s decision in the Tubas region.
“This decision comes as a result of the dangerous role played by Al Jazeera in our Arab world in general, and in Palestine in particular, by sowing discord and inciting internal strife, in clear alignment with Zionist-American efforts and agendas hostile to the cause of our Arab nation in general and our Palestinian cause in particular,” continued the statement.
Fatah’s Tubas Branch Secretary Mahmud Sawafteh confirmed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister edition, that a decision had been issued banning Al Jazeera from entering the Tubas governorate.
He said the decision had been circulated on social media platforms affiliated with Fatah, which appears to have also been the case in the other governorates.
In Jenin and Tulkarem, senior sources in Fatah, who requested anonymity, also confirmed that a similar decision had been issued to ban Al Jazeera from operating in the governorates.
In Tulkarem, the source also accused Al Jazeera of fostering polarisation within Palestinian society, which he said formed a threat especially as the community is already existing under the strain of Israel’s occupation.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the ban was issued with official authorisation or instructions from Fatah’s Central Committee which is the movement’s executive arm.
However, a decision of this magnitude would usually be impossible to make without the approval of the Fatah Central Committee’s most senior leadership.
Ban enacted as tensions rise
Fatah’s decision to ban Al Jazeera from operating in these governorates comes after Israeli forces closed the network’s Ramallah office in the central occupied West Bank on 22 September 2024.
This followed a military order to close the office for 45 days, which was extended by another 45 days on 5 November 2024.
On 15 May, Israel’s then defence minister Yoav Gallant reportedly ordered a ban on the Al Jazeera’s operations in the occupied West Bank, following a ban on the channel in Israel.
Israel’s Army Radio then stated that the Israeli army’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi had been ordered to block the network in the territory, which Israel has illegally occupied since 1967.
Israel supports PA fight in Jenin
Meanwhile, according to The Times of Israel earlier this month, the Israeli army has been ordered to support the PA in its fight against Palestinian resistance groups operating in the northern West Bank, particularly in the current Jenin operation.
However, on Monday, Israel’s Kan radio reported that Israeli officials had been shocked at the PA forces’ use of RPGs against Jenin fighters, which has seen Israel open an investigation into the incident.
Israeli security officials were quoted as saying: “Palestinian security forces should not possess RPGs, which are precise and lethal weapons.”
Jenin camp has long considered a stronghold of resistance against Israel’s illegal occupation and for the past nineteen days has been the site of repeated clashes between Palestinian fighters and PA security forces, resulting in the deaths of five people, including two young men and a child from the camp, and two Palestinian security officers.
This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition with additional reporting.
