Palestine government shuts down Al Jazeera

The government of the Palestine Authority has shut down the West Bank operations of Qatar-based news channel Al-Jazeera.

The move follows its airing of an interview with Tunis-based PLO and Fatah official Farouk Kaddoumi in which he accused Palestine Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, a longtime rival, of playing a role in the death of Yasser Arafat.

The Palestine Information Ministry accused the news channel of incitement and unbalanced reporting. Al-Jazeera’s operations have been suspended pending a court hearing on the matter.