[Satellite TODAY 06-28-10] Eutelsat and client Noorsat have shut down European broadcasts of the Al-Aqsa TV Gaza-based television station after the French CSA Broadcasting Authority and the European Commission ordered the Paris-based operator to take the channel off the air on grounds that it violated rules on incitement, the operator confirmed June 25.
    The shut down will also affect parts of the Middle East. Al-Aqsa Director Hazem al-Charawi said the station would pursue legal options against the operators, claiming that the shutdown of its broadcasts to Europe amounted to “another layer of the Gaza blockade imposed by the Zionist lobby with France’s help,” al-Charawi said in a statement.
    The Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, runs al-Aqsa TV. Eutelsat said the channel would continue broadcasting in the Middle East via two other satellites belonging to Arabsat.