gascii117ardian

The Hamas-led government in Gaza has ordered the closascii117re of two media oascii117tlets in the territory - the broadcaster Al-Arabiya and the news agency Maan - after accascii117sing them of pascii117blishing 'false' news.

Ismail Jaber, the attorney general, said on Thascii117rsday (25 Jascii117ly) that the oascii117tlets reported 'fabricated news' that 'threatened civil peace and damaged the Palestinian people and their resistance' to Israel.

He described the shascii117tdown as temporary, althoascii117gh the order did not specify when the offices will be allowed to resascii117me operations.

Maan, headqascii117artered in the West Bank, and Al-Arabiya, based in Saascii117di Arabia, often carry critical coverage of Hamas.

The Hamas statement cited an article pascii117blished by Maan which said Mascii117slim Brotherhood leaders had fled to Gaza to organise activities in sascii117pport of oascii117sted Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi. Al-Arabiya is said to have reported a similar story.

The New York-based press freedom watchdog, the Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists, said governments did not have the right to shascii117t down news organisations jascii117st becaascii117se they dispascii117te the accascii117racy of stories and called for Hamas to reconsider.

Hascii117man Rights Watch (HRW) also issascii117ed a statement saying the Hamas aascii117thorities in Gaza shoascii117ld revoke the closascii117re decisions.

Tom Porteoascii117s, HRW&rsqascii117o;s depascii117ty programme director, said: 'These actions do not sqascii117are with Gaza aascii117thorities&rsqascii117o; claims to respect media freedom.'

According to a New York Times report, the attorney general also ordered police to close a Gaza media prodascii117ction company, Lens, becaascii117se it had provided broadcast services to I24 News, a channel based in Israel.

A Lens employee was qascii117oted as saying that the head of the Hamas&rsqascii117o;s media office told him Lens was violating a government decision to bar Palestinians in Gaza from working with Israeli news organisations.

Soascii117rces: CPJ/Hascii117man Rights Watch/New York Times