Independent human rights experts have called on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to immediately revoke its ban on Al Jazeera, urging the government to ensure that journalists, both local and international, can operate freely and safely in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“To shut down a prominent international media outlet and one of the biggest in the region is a disproportionate, unnecessary and severe restriction of freedom of expression and obstructs the right to information of the Palestinian people and regional and global audiences,” the experts said.
The PA suspended Al Jazeera’s operations on January 1, 2025, citing allegations of broadcasting “inciting content, misinformation, sedition, and interference in Palestinian internal affairs.” The suspension, ordered by the Palestinian Attorney-General, prohibits all Al Jazeera broadcasts and operations, including work by its affiliate journalists and crews. This was followed by a letter from the Palestinian Minister of Culture, reflecting a decision issued by the Tripartite Committee which is responsible for licensing ground and satellite radio and television stations.
The suspension was brought into effect on January 5, with the Magistrate Court of Ramallah ordering the closure of several highly popular Al Jazeera websites for four months, including aljazeera.net, aljazeera.net/live, aljazeera360.com and global.ajplus.net, alleging that their published material “threaten national security and incite the commission of crimes.”
The experts comprising special rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories as well rapporteurs on the right to freedom of opinion and expression noted that this move by the PA came in the wake of Al Jazeera’s critical reporting on the violent crackdown by Palestinian security forces since 5 December 2024 in the Jenin Refugee Camp and across the occupied West Bank, where at least eight Palestinians, including a young female journalist, were killed.
“The decision to ban Al Jazeera on the basis of vague and unsubstantiated allegations amidst escalating violence and human rights violations suggests that the real objective of the Palestinian Authority is to block international scrutiny and silence uncomfortable criticism,” the experts added.
Raising concerns on freedom of expression and cracking down on journalists with the Israeli and Palestinian Governments the experts said that “the Palestinian Authority must not follow the path of the Israeli government, which banned Al Jazeera in Israel and the Occupied Territory and closed its office in Ramallah last year and has blocked access to Gaza for the international media.”
“Without independent reporting, potential human rights abuses and violations of international law may go unreported, creating an environment where impunity thrives,” they said. “We call on the Palestinian Authority to respect its international obligations and uphold media freedom by removing the ban on Al Jazeera.”
 to immediately revoke its ban on Al Jazeera, urging the government to ensure that journalists, both local and international, can operate freely and safely in the occupied Palestinian territory.){kind=link}