Geneva [Switzerland], January 3: The United Nations has urged the Palestinian Authority to "reverse course", after it suspended broadcasts by Al Jazeera and levelled allegations of incitement.
"We are deeply concerned by the Palestinian Authority's suspension of Al Jazeera operations and reporters in the West Bank amid troubling a trend of suppressing freedom of opinion and expression" in the Palestinian territories, the UN human rights office said on X.
The statement added, "We urge PA to reverse course and respect its international law obligations."
Meanwhile, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) has issued a statement on the Palestinian Authority's (PA) decision to temporarily suspend of Al Jazeera.
"The FPA expresses its grave concern over the PA's decision to temporarily suspend Al Jazeera's broadcasting across the Palestinian territories. This action raises serious questions about press freedom and democratic values in the region.
"Al Jazeera has been a valuable source of information on the situation in the Palestinian territories, including Gaza. We call on the PA to reconsider its decision immediately and engage in constructive dialogue with the network to address any concerns in a manner aligned with international standards of media freedom."
Al Jazeera has deplored the Palestinian Authority's (PA) decision to close its office in the occupied West Bank, calling it a move that is "in line with the [Israeli] occupation's actions against its staff".
"Al Jazeera Media Network denounces the Palestinian Authority's decision to freeze its work and coverage in the West Bank. It considers this decision nothing but an attempt to dissuade the channel from covering the rapidly escalating events taking place in the occupied territories," the Qatar-based network said in a statement on Thursday.
"And - unfortunately - such a decision comes in line with the previous action taken by the Israeli government, which closed Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah," the statement added, calling on the PA to "immediately retract and cancel the decision" and allow its teams to cover freely from the occupied West Bank "without any threats or intimidation".
"Al Jazeera stresses that this decision will not deter it from its commitment to continue its professional coverage of events and developments in the West Bank," it said.
Source: Qatar Tribune
