PA bans al-Jazeera

JERUSALEM, July 16 (UPI) -- The Palestinian Authority shut down the West Bank bureau of al-Jazeera accusing it of incitement, media reports said.

The move was in response to the station's broadcast of a press conference in Jordan earlier in the week where Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Farouk Kaddoumi accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and former security commander Mohammed Dahlan of conspiring with Israel to assassinate Yasser Arafat.

A statement released by Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, Thursday, said Fatah leaders called for Kaddoumi's ouster.

Abbas' decision will prevent the Qatar-based television station from broadcasting in areas under Palestinian control, the agency said. Palestinian security forces raided the bureau's office in Ramallah Wednesday, the report said.

The Palestinian Information Ministry said while the network claims its coverage is neutral, it continues to incite against the PLO and "spread false news."

A statement released by al-Jazeera's head office in Doha said the network was stunned it had been sanctioned over a story also reported on other networks.