Al Jazeera broadcasts suspended in Gaza, West Bank

The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday ordered the suspension of broadcasts by Qatar-based Al Jazeera across the Palestinian territories, accusing the network of airing "inciting content", official media reported.

"The specialised ministerial committee, comprising the ministries of culture, interior and communications, has decided to suspend broadcasts and freeze all activities of Al Jazeera satellite channel and its office in Palestine," the official Wafa news agency said.

"The decision also includes temporarily freezing the work of all journalists, employees, crews and affiliated channels until their legal status is rectified due to Al Jazeera's violations of the laws and regulations in force in Palestine," the report said.

"This decision comes in response to Al Jazeera's insistence on broadcasting inciting content and reports characterised by misinformation, incitement, sedition and interference in Palestinian internal affairs," it added.

An Al Jazeera employee contacted by AFP confirmed that the network's office in Ramallah had received a suspension order on Wednesday.

Later on Wednesday, the channel aired images of what appeared to be Palestinian security officers entering the network's office in Ramallah and handing over the suspension orders, but there was still no reaction from the channel to the Palestinian Authority's move.

Militant group Hamas condemned the decision to ban the network.

"This decision aligns with a series of recent arbitrary actions taken by the Authority to curtail public rights and freedoms, and to reinforce its security grip on the Palestinian people," Hamas said in a statement.

"We call on the Palestinian Authority to immediately reverse this decision ... It is crucial to ensure the continuation of media coverage that exposes the occupation and supports the steadfastness of our people."

Islamic Jihad, allied with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, also criticised the decision.

"We condemn the authority's decision to close Al Jazeera's office in Palestine when our people and our cause are in dire need to convey their suffering to the world," the group said in a statement.

- 'Incitement campaign' -

Tensions between the Doha-based network and the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, have risen in recent weeks following the channel's coverage of clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in Jenin.

In late December, the channel had condemned what it said was an "incitement campaign" by Fatah against the network in some areas of the occupied West Bank.

"This campaign follows the network's coverage of clashes between Palestinian security forces and resistance fighters in Jenin," it said in a statement at the time.

"During its coverage of the tragic events in Jenin, Al Jazeera ensured the presence of all voices, including those of the resistance fighters and the spokesperson for the Palestinian security forces."

The security forces of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited control over the West Bank, have been engaged in deadly clashes with gunmen since early December, triggered by the arrests of several militants.

They are fighting members of the Jenin Battalion, most of whom are affiliated with either Islamic Jihad or Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

The violence in Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of armed groups in the northern West Bank and a frequent target of Israeli military raids, has killed 11 people including PA security personnel, militants and civilians.

The Palestinian Authority's decision comes more than three months after Israeli forces raided the network's office in Ramallah.

The network is already banned from broadcasting from Israel amid a long-running feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which has only worsened during the ongoing war in Gaza.

Israel's sacked defence minister Gallant quits parliament

Israel's former defence minister Yoav Gallant, who was dismissed in November after spearheading the military campaign in Gaza for more than a year, announced Wednesday that he would resign from parliament.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sacked Gallant, saying there was a "breakdown in trust" amid disagreements between the two on several issues.

"I will submit my resignation to the speaker of the Knesset," Gallant said in a televised statement on Wednesday.

Minutes later his office released a photograph showing him submitting his resignation to the speaker of parliament.

"I have served the state for 35 years in the IDF (military) and a decade in the government and the Knesset.... There are moments when one must pause and reassess the direction," Gallant said.

But he vowed to "continue working with all my strength to bring our kidnapped sons and daughters back home".

Netanyahu and Gallant disagreed on several issues, notably the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service.

Gallant had been a key advocate for ultra-Orthodox Jews to be called up, but Netanyahu wanted their exemption to continue, fearing their conscription could break up his governing coalition which relies on the support of religious parties.

"I understood that the issue of drafting Haredim is not merely a social issue. It is, first and foremost, a necessary security and military need," he said in his statement on Wednesday.

"Therefore, I acted for the equal conscription of all those obligated to serve. Due to my insistence on prioritising the good of the state of Israel and the needs of the IDF, I was removed from my position as minister of defence."

Gallant and Netanyahu also clashed over the conduct of Israel's war in Gaza after the deadly attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

"I charted the course and set the direction that enabled the state of Israel to achieve a military victory of its enemies in the war," he said.

"As the former minister of defence, I take responsibility for everything that happened from the beginning of my term in the months leading up to the war and until the end of my term, over a year after the war began."

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant as well as Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, who the Israeli military says it killed in Gaza.

The court said it had found "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.