The ministry said it decided to close the Al-Ghad satellite channel. The ministry said it ordered the channel's employees to immediately leave the office, without elaborating the reasons behind the decision. The channel said it gave its 35 employees a paid vacation until it settles the issue with the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Palestinian sources said that the channel was closed due to licensing procedure.

Other sources said that the ministry closed the channel due to rising tension between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the member of Fatah's Central Committee Mohammed Dahlan.

Dahlan, also head of Fatah Media Commission, is one of the owners of the station in addition to Palestinian and Arab businessmen.

Media reports in the last weeks said that tension between Abbas and Dahlan rose after the latter had openly criticized the Palestinian president and his family's business dealings.

According to the reports, Dahlan has warned that the ailing Abbas was incapable of leading either the PA or Fatah amid pressure from Israel and the United States.

The reports said that Dahlan urged other senior Fatah Central Committee members to undermine Abbas.

As a result, Abbas stripped Dahlan of his bodyguards and threatened him with imprisonment he remains in the West Bank.

On Nov. 24, the Fatah Revolutionary Council convened in Ramallah to discuss the tensions between Abbas and Dahlan. However, Dahlan boycotted the session.