Attempts to shut down Hamas from operating its main television propaganda outlet in France appear to have failed – at least for now.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his gratitude on Saturday to French President Francois Hollande after the latter’s government shut down a Hamas television station that aired content which constituted anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incitement.
The prime minister had earlier urged Hollande to move against the transmission of Al Aksa television, the Hamas-run channel that was being broadcast on the French satellite service EUTELSAT.
After Netanyahu’s request, the Israeli embassy in Paris reported that Al Aksa’s transmission had been cut off from service.
Hamas, however, appears to have found a way to circumvent the ban. After the channel was removed from the European satellite carrier, the Islamist group managed to connect the frequency to the Egyptian satellite, Nilesat. Al Aksa TV is now operating as per usual.
Hamas is designated by the European Union as a terrorist organization, which means it is legal for governments to act in removing its network from television providers. In June 2010, French cable and satellite regulators ordered Al Aksa TV off the air for violating restrictions on airing racist material.
In addition to the military aspects of their conflict, the ongoing propaganda war between Israel and Hamas continues to be fought over the airwaves.
Suspected Palestinian hackers most likely from the Islamist group briefly overtook an Israeli television broadcast Friday evening.
During the airing of a popular television show “Big Brother” on Channel 2, the broadcast was briefly interrupted by a clip showing images of terror attacks and threatening messages in Hebrew.
Source: Jerusalem Post
