PA bans news sites critical of President Abbas

The Palestinian government in the West Bank blocks 11 news websites affiliated with Hamas and other political rivals critical of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

An official at the PA attorney general’s office says the sites were blocked because they are in “violation of the rules of publications,” which forbid alleged fake news and defamation. The official spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to brief the media.

The editor of Jordan-based Amad news website, Hassan Asfour, says in a statement that the censorship was due to its “bold reporting” on the Palestinian government’s “dirty deals.”

The internationally backed Palestinian Authority has tightened its grip in the West Bank since losing control of the Gaza Strip to the Islamist terror group Hamas a decade ago.

— AP