The action came two days after armed Palestinian security forces shut the bureau down
March 23, 2001, 11:16 PM RAMALLAH (AFP)
- The Ramallah bureau of the popular Qatari satellite television network Al-Jazeera reopened Friday, two days after armed Palestinian security forces shut it down, the bureau chief said. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat "on Friday evening ordered the reopening of our office after he received a delegation from our team," Walid Omari told AFP.
Arafat's Palestinian Authority had closed Al-Jazeera's office allegedly because it broadcast previews for a documentary on Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon that included a shot of an Arafat opponent dangling a shoe over a portrait of him, a sign of disrespect.
The Palestinians' action sought "to change the tone of a television program by resorting to force, something all free media reject," Al-Jazeera said in a statement Wednesday.
The statement added: "Al-Jazeera will never under any circumstance stop covering the Palestinian cause."
Al-Jazeera, founded in 1996 shortly after Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani took power, has become immensely popular in the Arab world for its frank coverage of social and political issues.
© 2001 AFP
http://www.freemedia.at/IPIReport4.99/ipirep4.99_Jazeera.htmIPI Report, No.4, 1999 Maverik Arab Satellite TV Qatar's Al Jazeera brings a provocative new brand of journalism to the Middle East By Magda Abu-Fadil
They love it. They revile it. They shudder when it tackles controversial topics and broadcasts them to millions of viewers in the Arab world and beyond. And many wonder how they ever watched television before it...
http://www.smcvideo.com/cgi-bin/smcvideo.storefront
The War of Lebanon The War of Lebanon is a 15-part documentary produced exclusively by Al Jazeera Satellite Channel and distributed worldwide by Sabbah Media Corporation. This 2-year project cost several hundred thousand dollars and entailed filming over 150 hours of interviews with the major players in the events that took place in Lebanon between 1976 - 1990. Over 200 tons of equipment were shipped and transported during filming. More than 20 people took part in the production. In addition to interviews, the program relied heavily on archive material, over 26 hours of film footage were viewed to provide the 6 hours used in the program. In addition, still photographs were purchased from international photo agencies such as Gamma, and from Lebanese newspapers. Other historical materials in the program include declassified US State Department documents. Moreover, the program presents in the 1st two episodes the historical background of other major events that influenced the course of the 15-year war. Filming took place in major locations across 4 continents Lebanese, Arab, Israeli, American and European commentators and politicians were interviewed as length about their outlook or roles vis-à-vis the war. Military personnel and civilian victims were also interviewed. In a region notorious for its political intrigues and conspiracy theories,
http://www.danielpipes.org/books/hidden.shtml (Right-wing terrorism expert, Daniel Pipes.)
the program delves into the secret meetings and negotiations that took place at various landmark stages during the war. The program producers strove hard to maintain the Al Jazeera Satellite Channel's strict policy of objectivity and balance; hence, views from the opposite ends of the political spectrum are represented.
Michael Pugliese