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Unpopular among Palestinians, PA slams Al Jazeera over negative coverage

The Qatar-based news outlet was threatened with unspecified “measures” for its “unbalanced” reporting about Palestinian affairs. The network called the charges “unfounded.”

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The Palestinian Authority (PA) threatened Al Jazeera Thursday over its alleged “unbalanced” coverage of Palestinian affairs, specifically calling out its reporting during Israel’s recent anti-terror operation in Jenin.

PA Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Information Nabil Abu Rudeineh sent a letter to the board of directors of the Qatar-based outlet, accusing it of “breaking professional rules in… covering the news of Palestine, especially the last aggression of the occupation on the city of Jenin and its refugee camp.”

Although he provided no concrete examples, Abu Rudeineh further charged that there was a “lack of balance and failure to commit to objectivity” in Al Jazeera’s reporting, which could lead, he said, to “harm[ing] civil peace and the fabric of society.”

If the channel does not change its “approach,” Abu Rudeineh wrote, “we will be forced to take the necessary measures in accordance with the law of the State of Palestine.”

He did not specify what those measures might be. The PA, which is dominated by the secular nationalist Fatah movement, has closed local Al Jazeera offices twice in the past, accusing it of, among other things, supporting Hamas, the PA’s rival that is eating away at support for Fatah in the Palestinian-administered territories.

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On Saturday, the Arab network dismissed the charges outright. Acting Director-General Mustafa Souag replied that they were “astonished” at the letter, “which does not include a specific incident that can be reviewed and evaluated.” After reviewing their “entire coverage of the aforementioned event,” he wrote, he found the charges to be “absolutely unfounded.”

Al Jazeera, he added, is “committed to professional standards of accuracy, objectivity and balance in all its news and press coverage… and will not change this editorial line as a result of any pressure or threat from any party.”

The Jerusalem Post reported Monday that Abu Rudeineh’s letter followed interviews in Al Jazeera with Palestinians who had harsh words for the PA and its security forces.

In its two-day operation in Jenin, the IDF was careful to target only Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters, killing 12 in armed clashes and arresting over 100 suspected terrorists, even though Fatah activists also claimed credit for anti-Israel attacks in recent months that emanated from the Palestinian city.

Some Palestinians have accused the PA security forces of either collaborating with Israel in its operation or disappearing instead of confronting the Israeli soldiers.