Al-Quds TV faces risk of shutdown

By Moustafa Maged Haboosh and Afra Aksoy</p> <p>GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Lebanon-based Palestinian television channel Al-Quds TV will go off the air by the end of February if it does not receive desperately needed funding, its director in Gaza said Tuesday.</p> <p>“If the necessary funds aren’t provided by the end of this month, it is inevitable that the channel will shut down,” Imad Ifranji told Anadolu Agency.</p> <p>The channel has been experiencing a financial crisis for the last three years which it has failed to overcome despite tightly managing its expenses and cutting staff, Ifranji said.</p> <p>He said the channel’s Gaza office has been unable to cover its operational costs for the past four months and around 50 employees have not received their salaries for nearly a year.</p> <p>Al-Quds TV had 350 personnel when it was founded in 2008 but now has only 150, he said.</p> <p>He noted that the channel is around $6 million in debt.</p> <p>“If no savior comes and the Palestinian authorities take action, we will lose a significant media outlet that conveys the message of the Palestinian people and undertakes the duty of fighting against occupation forces through the media,” Ifranji added.</p> <p>He recalled that the Gaza office was targeted by Israeli forces in 2012 and eight personnel were killed in the attack.</p> <p>Al-Quds TV was founded in Beirut by Palestinian businessmen and leading members of the diaspora.</p> <p>