Two major media outlets in Israel and the West Bank face closure.
The Palestinian Authority shuttered the offices of Al-Jazeera in the West Bank likely due to a controversial report on former P.A. President and Palestinian icon Yasser Arafat. The story cited a Fatah official accusing current P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas of conspiring to assassinate Arafat in order to assume his leadership role. The Ministry of Palestinian Information defended the move by accusing the media outlet of reporting false information. The ministry releasing the following statement:
“Al-Jazeera has always dedicated a wide portion of its transmission to incite against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. Despite repeated requests to be impartial in its coverage of Palestinian affairs, the station continued to incite against the PLO and the PA. The latest false news was aired yesterday.”
Separately, Israel’s Channel 10 television station may close as well, citing the economic recession as the main contributing factor to the woes of the outlet. The station head stated that the economic problems for the station may lead to its closure by the end of the month.
