The Palestinian Authority said Wednesday it was suspending the West Bank operations of al-Jazeera, alleging incitement and unbalanced reporting by the Arab news station from the Palestinian territories.

A Palestinian official says the decision was taken by President Mahmoud Abbas who was outraged by an al-Jazeera talk show, broadcast Tuesday, that dealt with harsh accusations against Palestinian Authority (PA) leader by a long-time rival in his Fatah movement. The rival, Farouk Kaddoumi, claimed - without presenting evidence - that Abbas had a role in the 2004 death of his predecessor, Yasser Arafat.

The official did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The information ministry accused the popular Arab satellite TV station of incitement and unbalanced reporting from the Palestinian territories, but did not provide details about the alleged incitement.

Abbas' aides have long alleged that the Qatar-based station, which is widely watched in the Palestinian territories, has been siding with the Islamist movement Hamas in the bitter Palestinian power struggle.