WASHINGTON (JTA) — A French government authority warned a satellite broadcaster that carrying the Hamas TV channel violates French law.
The Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel, or CSA, which regulates the electronic media in France, warned Eutelsat that al-Aksa TV violates the 1986 French media law that "prohibits all forms of incitement to hatred or violence on the ground of race, religion or nationality," according to a statement from the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which lobbies for the removal of terrorist-run broadcasters from satellite providers.
The Dec. 17 statement from the foundation’s Coalition Against Terrorist Media project said the formal CSA warning to Eutelsat was sent in November but was just published this week.
"This is an important victory against terrorist media," said Mark Dubowitz, the foundation’s executive director. "If Eutelsat complies with this warning and removes al-Aksa television from broadcast, as we hope that it will, it will deal a severe blow to Hamas’ distribution efforts."
Eutelsat and the Saudi-run Arabsat are the only satellite providers carrying al-Aksa, Hamas’ TV channel.
The Coalition Against Terrorist Media has led the campaign that removed Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV from all but three of 13 satellite providers worldwide.
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