Al-Aqsa satellite channel to go off air tonight

Al-Aqsa satellite channel to go off air tonight

GAZA, — Al-Aqsa Satellite channel has announced that it would stop broadcasting via the French Noorsat satellite as of 8 pm Thursday after failure of negotiations with the French government.

Samir Mohsen, director of programs in Al-Aqsa, told the PIC on Wednesday evening that the channel would continue to broadcast on the Arabsat satellite.

He said that agreement was reached with a number of legal experts to follow up the talks with the French government, which sanctioned cutting off the channel at the pretext that it was violating French laws by “inciting hatred”.

The media bureau of the Palestinian government in Gaza in a statement on Wednesday “feared” that the French decision was political and had nothing to do with professionalism.

It said that the decision harmed France more than any other party, charging that it fell in line with curbing media freedom and silencing media channels that defend national causes.

The bureau urged Egypt to host Al-Aqsa on Nilesat in its capacity as a committed national, Arab channel.