VZCZCXYZ0022
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJM #1246 2011448
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201448Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5491
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001246 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA FRONT OFFICE, NEA/IPA, AND NEA/PPD 
NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR 
DUBAI MEDIA HUB FOR ESCROGIMA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PROP PHUM KPAL KWBG KPAO
SUBJECT:  PA LIFTS SUSPENSION OF AL JAZEERA'S WEST BANK OPERATIONS 
 
REF:  JERUSALEM 1223 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  The Palestinian Authority (PA) allowed Qatar-based 
satellite news channel Al Jazeera to resume operations in the West 
Bank on July 18.  This followed the PA's suspension of Al Jazeera's 
license and closure of its Ramallah bureau on July 15 (reftel) on 
grounds of incitement and unbalanced coverage of the PA and PLO. 
The PA intends to proceed with its lawsuit against Al Jazeera.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The PA reinstated Al Jazeera's license on the evening of 
July 18, just three days after it suspended the license and closed 
Al Jazeera's Ramallah bureau.  An advisor to PA Prime Minister Salam 
Fayyad declined to explain the reason for reinstating the license. 
The PA had fallen under heavy pressure to do so, including from some 
individual PA officials, such as the newly-designated director of 
the PA Information Office, Ghassan al Khatib. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The PA will proceed with a lawsuit against Al Jazeera on 
charges of incitement and reporting false information.  It plans to 
file the suit either in the West Bank or Qatar.  An official of Al 
Jazeera's Ramallah bureau told PD staff that the network has not 
been officially notified of the lawsuit and is "not concerned," 
stating that the suit has no legal merit and is politically 
motivated. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) An official of Al Jazeera's Ramallah bureau complained 
that the three-day ban had "paralyzed" the news channel's operations 
in the West Bank.  Al Jazeera was not able to cover a large event 
attended by the Consul General in Nablus on July 18, for example, he 
said. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Al Jazeera Ramallah bureau official told PD staff 
that the decision to suspend Al Jazeera's operations in the West 
Bank is part of an ongoing campaign of "harassment" by PA officials, 
among them senior aides to President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).  He 
expressed hope that the PA would treat Al Jazeera like other media 
outlets and refrain from making "arbitrary and irresponsible" 
decisions against the news channel in the future.  He predicted 
that, given the strong support that Al Jazeera received from local 
and international civil society organizations, the PA would think 
twice before making further decisions that, he claimed, clearly 
violate freedom of the press. 
 
WALLES