The Algemeiner interviews PMW director in response to PA closure of Hamas TV station for "incitement"
The Algemeiner interviews PMW director
in response to PA closure of Hamas TV station for "incitement"
Headline: Palestinian Authority Claims Ban on Hamas TV in West Bank Due to ‘Incitement Against Israel’
Algemeiner staff, Nov. 30, 2015
The Palestinian Authority has ordered media providers to cease the distribution of all materials by Hamas’ official channel in the West Bank, Israel’s Army Radio reported on Monday. ccording to the report, PA security forces moved to ban the channel, called Al-Aqsa TV, over incitement to violence against Israel. [...]
Itamar Marcus, who runs the Israel-based watchdog organization Palestinian Media Watch, told The Algemeiner on Monday that the claim the PA was shutting down Al-Aqsa TV because of incitement was “clearly not the real motivation.”
After all, he said, “The PA and Fatah in particular have been incessantly glorifying the killers and glorifying the terror and promoting terror as well.”
“The PA is more fearful of Hamas than they are of Israel in many respect,” said Marcus, referring to the 2007 Hamas purge of the PA and its ruling Fatah Party from Gaza, following Palestinian elections that Hamas won.
“They know what Hamas did in Gaza and they know that if Hamas had the opportunity they would do the same thing: a military takeover in the West Bank as well,” explained Marcus.
“The PA has security cooperation with Israel, so that Israel can go into the Palestinian cities and independently fight Hamas, which Israel does for its own security needs, but which the PA is thrilled about,” he said.
Marcus said he did not think barring Hamas media from the West Bank would likely rein in the wave of terrorism, though.
“Since the PA itself is a major source of terror promotion, and Fatah is a major source of terror promotion, I think that if they stop watching Hamas television, they’ll start watching PA television and getting the same effect,” he said.
[http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/11/30/palestinian-authority-claims-ban-on-hamas-tv-in-west-bank-due-to-incitement-against-israel/]