From time to time, the Palestine Center distributes articles it believes will enhance understanding of the Palestinian political reality. The following article was published by i24 News on 19 June 2015.
“Netanyahu wants to shut down ‘Palestine 48’ TV channel“
On Wednesday Netanyahu instructed the Communications Ministry, which he currently heads, to look into possible criminal and administrative measures to prevent Palestine 48 from broadcasting. The Ministry also plans to investigate the legality of the channel’s PA funding.
Palestinian Communications Minister Riad Hassan said that “neither Netanyahu nor his extreme right-wing government will succeed in shutting down the station.”
“The prime minister will only be able to shut us down if he comes to Ramallah with his forces and occupies the Communications Ministry building and destroys our equipment. We are acting according to law, and are not physically inside of Israel, but are paying for services of licensed companies,” Hassan said in a statement.
“We don’t have an office or station in Israel, and not even one clerk. If Netanyahu’s government is going against us using the law, then it will lose, and if they try by force, then we will have an appropriate response.”
Palestine 48, which will broadcast via satellite, targets the Arab minority, which makes up approximately 20 percent of the Jewish state’s population.
According to Hassan, “The objective [of the channel] is to provide a platform for the Arabs of 1948 so that they can reveal to the entire Arab world everything that they go through in terms of cultural, social, and financial challenges. … We have no intention of undermining the rule of law in the State of Israel.”
An Israeli official in the Communications Ministry said following Netanyahu’s instructions: “We’ll examine all the criminal and administrative means at our disposal to prevent the station’s broadcasts. We’ll examine the legality of the broadcasts’ funding by the Palestinian Authority, among other things.”
Palestine 48 said in a statement: “So far the Palestinian television in Ramallah has received no notice of this. Hezbollah and Iran broadcast every day and haven’t been closed down. Instead of closing down channels Bibi should invest in developing Arab television industry in Israel.”
Officials in Palestine 48 told daily Haaretz the direct broadcast and all other activities will be from Ramallah, so Netanyahu will have to close down Palestinian TV altogether.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Jerusalem Fund.
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