Al Jazeera controversies and criticism Officials of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party also accuse al-Jazeera of being biased in favour of Hamas, with which it is at political loggerheads, and prominent Fatah official and former Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan has organized a lawsuit against the broadcaster. Al-Jazeera eventually agreed to discuss coverage of Mideast conflict, and the issue was apparently settled. In February 2009, Israel again imposed sanctions on Al Jazeera after Qatar closed the Israeli trade office in Doha in protest to the Gaza War. Initially, Israel contemplated declaring Al Jazeera a hostile entity and shutting down its Israel offices, but after a
Al Jazeera America at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on that date, with an hour-long preview special entitled "This is Al Jazeera". News coverage began immediately afterward at 4:00 p.m. Al Jazeera America's website launched on August 8, 2013. On January 14, 2016, the Al Jazeera Media Network announced that it would shut down Al Jazeera America's cable TV and digital operations on April 30, 2016, citing plummeting oil prices and the highly competitive nature of the American media market. It was also reported that this closure would lead to the loss of about 700 jobs. During its two-year history, Al Jazeera America won