Justice Ministry says it will sue Al-Jazeera
Published today (updated) 27/01/2011 20:50
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=354773

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Justice said
Thursday that it was preparing to file a suit against Al-Jazeera for its
publication of documents that "aimed at tarnishing the image" of the
government.

The news station, along with the The Guardian newspaper, began publishing a
set of 1,600 leaked documents said to be copies of maps, transcripts and
communications from over a decade of negotiations between Israeli and
Palestinian officials.

Ministry deputy Khalil Qaraja told Ma'an that lawyers had already begun
preparing a case and consulting with officials in the West Bank government.
There was no indication it would go after The Guardian, which partnered with
Al-Jazeera.

PA officials have accused Al-Jazeera of slander, political manipulation and
attempting to destabilize the West Bank, after the channel aired excerpts of
recordings and showed transcripts of meetings where PA and PLO officials
made large concessions to Israel.

Al Jazeera issued a statement saying that it "adheres to the highest
editorial standards and offers viewers impartial, balanced and in-depth
coverage of events in the region and beyond."

"To underline our commitment to transparency and accountability, we are
publishing all of the documents in the Palestine Papers online, including
allegations made against Al Jazeera," the channel said.

In the documents, Palestinian officials were quoted saying the right of
return for Palestinian refugees was a "bargaining chip," offering Israel the
opportunity to re-occupy the Philidelphi corridor between Gaza and Egypt,
entertaining requests to assassinate Hamas leaders in the West Bank, and
offering to give up large swaths of Jerusalem in exchange for statehood.

A PA government official, on requested anonymity, said requests would be
sent to Qatar by law enforcement officials asking for information as to how
the leaked documents came into the agency's possession.

PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat named two men as the source of the leaks; Clinton
Swisher, an Al-Jazeera reporter who Erekat said was a former CIA agent, and
Alastair Crooke, another journalist who Erekat claimed was a former member
at the British intelligence.

One official insisted that at least some of the documents had been forged,
though PLO negotiator Nabil Shaath had told Al-Jazeera during an interview
that he was aware of all of the documents published.