Palestinian Authority closes only Christian TV Station – Al-Mahed (Nativity) TV
Cross-post Solomonia
This is not the first time news has come about this station shutting down, but whatever. As I’ve noted in the past (previous: Bethlehem Christians fear neighbors, Only Christian TV station in Holy Land closes), the Samir Qumsieh (also spelled Samir Qumsiyeh) is the cousin of arch-anti-Israel activist, Mazin Qumsiyeh, who spends his time traveling the world trying to convince people that Israel ought to be removed in place of one big Palestinian Arab state. Yeah, I know, crazy: PA closes only Christian TV station
The owner of a private Christian TV station on Tuesday accused the Palestinian Authority of silencing the voice of the Christian minority in the Holy Land by forcing him to go off the air.
Samir Qumsieh, owner and director of Al-Mahed (Nativity) TV, which was founded in Beit Sahur, near Bethlehem, 14 years ago, said PA security officials who raided his station last week told him that the decision to close it down had been taken because he did not have a proper license.
“It’s strange that they are closing us down now after we have been broadcasting for the past 14 years,” Qumsieh said. “This is a breach of freedom of speech and an attempt to silence the media.”…
…The Christian broadcaster was one of several private radio and TV stations that were closed last week under the pretext that they had been operating without a proper license from the PA’s Ministry of Information and Ministry of Interior.
Most of the stations have been operating for over a decade.
The move drew a wave of protests by the owners and many journalists, who accused the PA government of seeking to silence the independent media in the Palestinian territories.
Some of the owners said they weren’t able to renew their licenses because of the high fees requested by the PA authorities…
The other part of the article discusses the extent to which recent corruption scandals have taken hold in the consciousness of the PA residents, despite Abbas’s attempts to silence the whistleblower. We’re once again throwing our hopes behind an entity with no ability to deliver.
Update: The article has been updated and the title now reads: PA backtracks over Christian channel
The Palestinian Authority appears to have backtracked on its decision to close down 10 TV stations, including a private Christian channel.
The PA had taken the stations off the air, claiming they did not have proper licenses, but announced Wednesday that the networks would be given one month to sort out the issue.
Nevertheless, the owner of the Christian station said he would not reopen the channel until the PA apologizes…
Tags: Christianity, Israel, Media