The Media Line Staff
Palestinian politicians are taking issue with several media outlets, especially the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera, for what they view as skewed and biased reportage.
The official Palestinian TV, which toes the line of the government in Ramallah, accused Al-Jazeera of pitting Palestinian and Arab public opinion against the P.A. by providing a platform for figures opposed to the government, and especially to members of Fatah's main rival, Hamas.
"There is a very strong feeling that Al-Jazeera has lost its neutrality on the Fatah-Hamas conflict," Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian media expert, told The Media Line.
A recent spat occurred between Al-Jazeera and the Palestinian Authority over the Goldstone report, the assessment of Israeli and Palestinian conduct during operation Cast Lead in Gaza.
The original decision of the P.A. to delay the vote on the report at the United Nations Human Rights Council drew many angry responses from across the political spectrum, and these were given a wide platform on Al-Jazeera.
This is not the only case where the Qatari channel has angered Ramallah.
Earlier this week, the government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad protested to Al-Jazeera for broadcasting a warped version of the Palestinian national anthem.
The Palestinian Communications Ministry demanded that Al-Jazeera practice "objectivity and balance, take a responsible and neutral media stance and stop its current behavior which stirs strife among Palestinians."
The altered version of the anthem was broadcast on a program called 'Open Dialogue' and poked fun at the Palestinian state of affairs.
The ministry said that airing a warped version of the anthem signaled Al-Jazeera's "continuous incitement" against the Palestinian Liberation Organization and its unbalanced coverage of Palestinian affairs.
But Walid Al-Omari, Al-Jazeera's Bureau Chief in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, said the antagonism towards Al-Jazeera was uncalled for.
The clip with the warped anthem lyrics, which featured pictures of leaders from both Fatah and Hamas, appeared on the Internet ten days before Al-Jazeera aired it, Al-Omary said, but it only drew fire when Al-Jazeera broadcast it.
"Al-Jazeera used it as evidence to show the audience that the Palestinian reality is so bad that everyone is protesting against it," Al-Omary told The Media Line. "[The Palestinian government] is using that to incite people against Al-Jazeera in a provocation campaign," he said.
"They frequently call Al-Jazeera biased, and some of the activists and leaders inside Fatah and the presidential offices are pushing to close Al-Jazeera's office. We've had problems with cooperation for the last three years. It's very difficult, and many times they don't send us news and invitations about the activities of the president. It's not an easy life these days for Al-Jazeera's offices in Ramallah and the West Bank because the provocation is high."
"Al-Jazeera's coverage is intensive, especially when there's something important like the Goldstone report and like the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. The problem seems to be that both Fatah and Hamas want Al-Jazeera to be on their side and to serve their interests. Their current accusations against Al-Jazeera of pro-Hamas bias is a kind of provocation."
As to the Goldstone case, Al-Omary said the extensive platform given to those who opposed the postponement of the referral was not skewed coverage but simply a reflection of the strong sentiments against this decision in the Palestinian and Arab streets.
But Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian media expert, tends to disagree.
"There is a very strong feeling that Al-Jazeera has lost its neutrality on the Fatah-Hamas conflict, and this appeared boldly in the aftermath of the postponement of the Goldstone affair," Kuttab, director general of the Community Media Network and founder of the Institute of Modern Media at Al-Quds University in east Jerusalem told The Media Line.
Kuttab is of the belief that Al-Jazeera has become "more of a party to the internal conflict rather than an observer and a commentator on it."
However, he stressed that the English language Al-Jazeera was not as biased as the Arabic version.
There are other ongoing cases between the P.A. and the channel, such as the case of Fatah security strongman Muhammad Dahlan, a member of the Central Committee in the prominent Palestinian Fatah party, who is currently taking Al-Jazeera to court over a defamation case, after Al-Jazeera hosted a Palestinian activist who accused Dahlan of corruption.
Ibrahim Hamami accused Dahlan of buying his victory in previous elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council, accusations that Dahlan denies. Both sides have employed large and costly British litigation firms to represent their case.
In at least one other case, surprisingly, the accusations are flying in the opposite direction.
Maan, an independent Palestinian news agency based in Bethlehem, is pressing charges against a Hamas member of parliament, Mushir Al-Masri, for "slander and immoral insult" against the agency.
Al-Masri told a Palestinian paper that Maan was a "cheap Fatah mouthpiece that disseminates Zionist claims and fabricates lies and positions against Hamas."
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said Al-Masri's statements were "an immoral means to attack a news agency that is acting in the interest of the Palestinian people."
Maan has filed a formal complaint to the Journalists Syndicate, the head of Hamas' Change and Reform parliamentary bloc and to the speaker of the parliament.
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