Al Jazeera ban: How the PA's actions mirror Israel's tactics in the occupied West Bank
Last week, the Palestinian Authority (PA) banned Al Jazeera, one of the few international news outlets providing substantive and consistent coverage of Israel's long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories and ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing operations in Gaza.
The move has been described as "shocking" by observers.
What could compel a body apparently representing Palestinians to undermine one of the few international voices dedicated to shedding light on Palestinian suffering?
To understand this, it is necessary to examine the broader context.
The PA, part of the larger Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) umbrella, presents itself as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Officially, it governs parts of the occupied West Bank.
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But, for many years, the PA's primary purpose has been to prop up and serve the Israeli occupation.
'Sacred' partnership
The PA emerged out of the 1990s Oslo peace process, which many experts have described as a "sham" set up to preserve the status quo of occupation while providing Israel and the United States with important political cover.
At the time, the PLO was both struggling to maintain political control over the Palestinian territories and was in need of economic assistance.
Through a series of Oslo agreements signed between 1993 and 1995, the US and Israel threw the PLO political and financial lifelines. In exchange, the newly created PA agreed to carry out much of the dirty work of the occupation.
Under the guise of 'security coordination', the PA evolved into the main 'subcontractor and collaborator' for the Israeli occupation
Under the guise of "security coordination", the PA evolved into the main "subcontractor and collaborator" for the Israeli occupation.
In 2014, PA President Mahmoud Abbas described the security coordination as "sacred", underscoring the depth of the partnership.
Historically, this coordination has involved the stifling of dissent, including journalism, on Israel's behalf.
For example, between January 2018 and March 2019, the PA detained more than 1,600 Palestinians for acts of "peaceful expression". In both 2020 and 2021, the PA cracked down on peaceful Palestinian protests. In 2022, the PA banned dozens of Palestinian news sites critical of Israel and the PA.
The PA's recent ban on Al Jazeera will not sit well with Palestinians who view Al Jazeera favourably.
Evidence of coordination
Palestinians have long seen the PA as a collaborator with Israel, which likely explains why opinion polls consistently reflect negative perceptions of the PA.
But the PA's open coordination with Israel has never been more apparent.
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The PA's ban on Al Jazeera comes just months after Israel moved to ban the network and then raid and shut down the network's offices in Ramallah. The PA's effective imitation of these actions is unlikely to go unnoticed by Palestinians.
Similarly, the PA's recent crackdown on resistance groups in Jenin appears to mimic Israeli tactics.
Since 5 December, the PA has carried out violent raids, killing a total of eight Palestinians, including unarmed civilians and a young female journalist.
These actions resemble Israel's own escalations in the West Bank.
In August 2024, Israel launched its largest military operation there since the second Palestinian uprising, killing hundreds of Palestinians, arresting thousands and destroying critical infrastructure.
It is probable that many Palestinians will read the PA's recent crackdown in the West Bank as a textbook example of its cooperation with, or subservience to, Israel.
Disturbing videos showing Palestinian officers abusing critics of the PA will only reinforce the perception that the PA is adhering to an Israeli playbook.
Throwing Hamas under the bus
The PA's recent actions are likely aimed at currying favour with Israel and the United States, seeking to demonstrate its reliability as a key player in the administration of post-war Gaza.
Importantly, they may also indicate that the PA is trying to throw Hamas, which governs Gaza, under the proverbial bus.
In June, Hamas and Fatah, the party that controls the PA, signed a unity government agreement in Beijing.
The agreement was historic, in part because Hamas is an Islamist group while Fatah is secular, but also because the two factions are historic rivals.
Whatever momentum had been building for a unity government is now likely dead.
Hamas has harshly condemned both the PA's ban on Al Jazeera and its incursion into Jenin, which it views as an act of aggression against Islamists, including Hamas itself.
The PA may perceive Hamas as so degraded that it can assert control over Gaza without the Islamist group.
This would not be the first time that the PA has thrown Hamas under the bus.
In 2006, Hamas won legislative elections, but Fatah, the US and Israel refused to recognise the results and attempted a coup. The coup attempt resulted in a civil war and the division of Palestinian territories.
Object of resistance
One of Israel's primary aims, both in Gaza and the West Bank, is to eliminate all forms of Palestinian resistance - a crucial step towards establishing "Greater Israel".
While the PA does not share Israel's vision for "Greater Israel", it does share the goal of eliminating Palestinian resistance.
For many Palestinians, this recent move further solidifies the PA as an obstacle to their liberation rather than a means to achieving it
However, Israel's ongoing genocide has not eliminated Hamas, nor is it going to be able to eradicate Palestinian resistance more broadly.
In fact, the genocide and aggressive Israeli expansion into the West Bank may lead to an intensification of resistance in the long term.
The PA's ban on Al Jazeera, coupled with its aggression against Palestinians in Jenin, underscores to Palestinians that the PA's role is not to defend their rights but rather to serve Israeli interests.
For many Palestinians, this further solidifies the PA as an obstacle to their liberation rather than a means to achieving it.
As a result, the PA may become more of an object of resistance than it has been before.
Going forward, governing parts of the West Bank will likely become even more daunting for the PA, let alone extending its control to Gaza.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
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