Israel has ordered a six-month closure of Palestine 48, a new Palestinian television channel funded by the Palestinian Authority and catering to Palestinian citizens of Israel. Aljazeera has more:
“I will not allow for Israel’s sovereignty to be harmed or for the Palestinian Authority to gain a foothold in Israeli territory,” said Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who on Thursday signed an order claiming that the channel did not have the authorisation to operate in Israel.
Mirroring the outrage expressed by a number of Palestinian lawmakers in Israel, Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation President Riad al-Hassan said the move against the channel – which is broadcast through the Palestinian company PalSat – was “illegal” and that it would be contested in the supreme court.
The announcement made good on a threat in a government statement last month, just hours after the channel’s launch on June 18, the first evening of Ramadan. The Communications Ministry, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, defined the channel as a vehicle for Palestinian Authority propaganda, intended to incite anti-Israel hate among its Arab population. Those behind the project were “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” said Communications Ministry spokesperson Yechiel Shavi, adding that Palestinians would never achieve statehood, but “can continue to dream forever” of realising it.
