Ramullah: al-Jazira office reopened

The Qatari TV satellite station has stated that the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat gave his instructions to reopen the station's office in Ramullah which he had order to be closed on Wednesday.

The "al-Jazira" statement, which was not confirmed by Palestinian side came about after a protest submitted by the international committee for protecting journalists to Arafat. In the statement, the committee which takes New York as a headquarters said that " the closure of al-Jazira station by the Palestinian Authority and imposing restriction on its correspondents is a tough attempt to impose control. A matter which violates main international norms of the freedom of expression."

On Wednesday, al-Jazira TV said that its office in Ramullah was closed in retaliation to what seemed screening a documentary film about the civil war in Lebanon considered by the PA as insulting to its leader.

Certain Palestinians considered the declaration as including insult to Arafat because it has a shot showing Arafat with a shoe suspended over his head."