Islamic Jihad official: Seizure of pro-resistance media aimed at hiding US, Israeli crimes in region

A high-ranking Islamic Jihad official says the recent move by the White House to pull the plug on pro-resistance websites is aimed at hiding American and Israeli crimes being perpetrated in the region.

Khaled al-Batsh, a member of the Gaza-based resistance group’s Politburo, made the comment in an interview with Press TV on Monday.

The seizure of the domains of pro-resistance websites, he said, was doomed to failure as alternative media would keep exposing the truth about the US government and the Israeli regime and their treatment of the people of Palestine.

Last week, the US government blocked the domains of three dozen Iranian and regional television networks with a message that cited US sanctions laws for the seizure and was accompanied by the seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Commerce.

Beside Press TV, Iran's international Arabic-language service, al-Alam, along with Yemen's al-Masirah and domains linked to a branch of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were also shut down by the US Department of Justice in a move that drew sharp criticism worldwide.

Message on websites of Iranian, regional TVs claims ‘domain seizure by US govt.’

In what seems to be a coordinated action, a similar message has appeared on the websites of a series of Iranian and regional television networks that claims the domains of the websites have been “seized by the United States Government.”

“Blocking the pro-resistance media websites used by Islamic Radio and Television Union is a typical American move that is aimed at hiding the truth from the Western world and silencing the channels that expose all Israeli crimes and those of the US allies in the region,” Batsh said.

“America is practicing the policy of blinding the international community from seeing the American and Israeli crimes and violations in the Middle East.” 

The Islamic Jihad official censured the silence of international media organizations and human rights groups about the move as a clear violation of freedom of press and called for holding those behind the decision liable.

“I believe that those behind such a decision should be prosecuted and punished. By this move, America is trying to reflect a wrong image of the Islamic nations and Palestinians to the Western societies,” Batsh said.

“The [US] administration that tries to block the truth about the cruelty of the Israeli regime and describes Palestinians as terrorists should be held accountable and get the right punishment,” the Palestinian official underlined, adding, “There should be a legal trial against this administration while the media outlets of the resistance front should overcome this obstacle and keep doing their role of exposing the truth by different means in order for our voices to reach the international community.”

Suppression of pro-resistance media points to complicity of Persian Gulf states, says activist

Mohamad Kleit, a Beirut-based journalist, says the US government action to censor pro-resistance media outlets, including Press TV, points to the complicity of Persian Gulf states.

Commenting on US President Joe Biden’s claim to double efforts in his tenure to achieve peace in the Middle East, Batsh confirmed that the seizure replicated former President Donald Trump’s attitude towards the region and that the present US administration was not any different.

“The American peace project is based on disinformation, deception and covering up the truth,” the Palestinian official said. "It represented the Palestinian community as terrorists while representing the Israeli regime as a humane presence in the region that only defends its people."

Batsh stressed that the American move gives a green light to Israel to commit more crimes.

He added that the US blocking of the websites was aimed at destroying the Palestinian cause and hiding the reality from being delivered to the world so that America can realize its plans in the region without being held accountable and implement the Israeli plans in Palestine.

This is not the first time Press TV has been targeted by the West. YouTube and Facebook have previously taken down Press TV's pages on several occasions.

The news network, launched in 2007 as a counter-weight to Western propaganda outlets, has also been removed from TV broadcasting satellites in Europe, North America and East Asia.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk