Jordan bans al-Jazeera TV activities
Jordan, Politics, 8/8/2002

The Jordanian authorities on Wednesday banned the al-Jazeera satellite TV station on its territories and withdrew its license, following a program considered as an insult to the Hashamite family and the role played by the Kingdom in Palestine and Iraq.

The Jordanian minister of information Muhammad al-Edwan ordered closure of the Qatari al-Jazeera office in Jordan, withdrawing the licensing offered to it and preventing its correspondents from carrying out any activity in Jordan.

Al-Edwan accused al-Jazeera of "deliberately defaming Jordan and its national stances." This decision by Jordan came 24 hours after al-Jazeera broadcast one of its programs, "al-Itijah al-Mu'akis" ( the opposite direction), during which criticism was addressed to the role played by Jordan and the ruling Jordanian family towards the issues of Palestine and Iraq. The program was attended by university teacher Asaad Abu Khalil who criticized former King Hussein and his grandfather King Abdullah I and the Jordanian role which was supportive to Israel even before the signing of the Wadi Araba agreement between Jordan and Israel. During the program the Jordanian King Abdullah was also criticized.

However, al-Jazeera office is situated in the building of the Jordanian company for the media and TV productions ( Jordan Multimedia production ) which used to collaborate with several TV networks including al-Jazeera channel.

The office's director Muhammad Ajlouni is currently in the USA. Al-Edwan said that the Jordanian production company can continue its work but "al-Jazeera" licensing was pulled-out and any activity relating to its is banned.

Two of the four correspondents for al-Jazeera, Yasser Abu Hilala ( the political correspondent and Tareq Ayoub ( the economic correspondent ) said that the Jordanian authorities did not make any official contact with them. This is, however, the second time al-Jazeera office in Jordan is closed. It was closed for the first time in 1998 after it had broadcast a program criticizing Jordan.

Previous Stories:
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  Bassam Abu Sharif founds 'Palestine's democratic party'   (8/5/2002)
  Jordanian King visits South Africa   (8/5/2002)

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