Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan issued an order on Thursday to close the Musawa television station for six months, saying the Palestinian Authority (PA)-funded channel infringes on Israel’s sovereignty.
The channel, previously named Palestine 48, was shut down by Israel last year. It changed its name to Musawa and resumed its broadcasting and has now been shut down again.
Although the show is edited in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, it is recorded in Nazareth in Israel, leading Israeli authorities to crack down on the channel for lacking proper permission for foreign entities to operate in Israel.
“I will not allow any harm to come to Israel’s sovereignty or give a foothold to the PA within the country,” Erdan stated, according to the Times of Israel.
Last year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initiated an investigation into the legality of the channel’s operations, as the Israeli government accused the channel of disseminating propaganda to enhance “Palestinian identity.”
In response to the Israeli government shutting down Palestine 48 last year, Riad Hassan, the PA’s communications minister, said at the time that the PA would not cease their operations “even if it does not please the government of settlers that Netanyahu leads. We want to present a platform for Israeli Arabs to introduce themselves to the Arab world, to show them their culture and the difficulties they face.”
Israel has recently shut sown several Palestinian media outlets as part of its war on Palestinian terrorism and incitement, which has generated a wave of Palestinian terror attacks over the course of the past nine months.
By: United with Israel Staff
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