Al-Quds TV faces risk of shutdown

By Moustafa Maged Haboosh and Afra Aksoy

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Lebanon-based Palestinian television channel Al-Quds TV will go off the air by the end of February if it does not receive desperately needed funding, its director in Gaza said Tuesday.

“If the necessary funds aren’t provided by the end of this month, it is inevitable that the channel will shut down,” Imad Ifranji told Anadolu Agency.

The channel has been experiencing a financial crisis for the last three years which it has failed to overcome despite tightly managing its expenses and cutting staff, Ifranji said.

He said the channel’s Gaza office has been unable to cover its operational costs for the past four months and around 50 employees have not received their salaries for nearly a year.

Al-Quds TV had 350 personnel when it was founded in 2008 but now has only 150, he said.

He noted that the channel is around $6 million in debt.

“If no savior comes and the Palestinian authorities take action, we will lose a significant media outlet that conveys the message of the Palestinian people and undertakes the duty of fighting against occupation forces through the media,” Ifranji added.

He recalled that the Gaza office was targeted by Israeli forces in 2012 and eight personnel were killed in the attack.

Al-Quds TV was founded in Beirut by Palestinian businessmen and leading members of the diaspora.