Abbas’ office fires PA TV News Director
The following article shows that PA Chairman Abbas has full control over PA TV, including dismissal of staff.
“Exclusive inside sources have informed the Wattan News Agency that a decision to relieve Ahmad Zaki of his position as news director of Palestine TV (i.e., PA TV) was published today, Wednesday. The sources told Wattan News that a high-level official at the President’s [Abbas’] Office had informed Zaki in person of the decision to relieve him of his position, without him having received any official letter regarding the matter. During a phone interview with Wattan News, Zaki refused to either deny or confirm the report of the layoff, while Riyad Al-Hassan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Public Palestinian Television and Radio Authority, did not answer the phone.
Zaki was fired after expressing his stated position regarding the Egyptian talk show host Tawfiq Okasha on Palestine TV, which led to a broad wave of condemnations from journalists and others. Ahmad Zaki, news director of Palestine TV, described the talk show host Tawfiq Okasha as an Israeli agent on his Facebook page, where he had written: ‘I have nothing to do with what happened. It was the Awdah satellite channel that hosted Okasha, not Palestine TV.’ He added: ‘This animal, who hopes Israel will wipe out half my nation, is a base spy, not worth the shoe he threw on his TV channel, which is in crisis.’”
“Exclusive inside sources have informed the Wattan News Agency that a decision to relieve Ahmad Zaki of his position as news director of Palestine TV (i.e., PA TV) was published today, Wednesday. The sources told Wattan News that a high-level official at the President’s [Abbas’] Office had informed Zaki in person of the decision to relieve him of his position, without him having received any official letter regarding the matter. During a phone interview with Wattan News, Zaki refused to either deny or confirm the report of the layoff, while Riyad Al-Hassan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Public Palestinian Television and Radio Authority, did not answer the phone.
Zaki was fired after expressing his stated position regarding the Egyptian talk show host Tawfiq Okasha on Palestine TV, which led to a broad wave of condemnations from journalists and others. Ahmad Zaki, news director of Palestine TV, described the talk show host Tawfiq Okasha as an Israeli agent on his Facebook page, where he had written: ‘I have nothing to do with what happened. It was the Awdah satellite channel that hosted Okasha, not Palestine TV.’ He added: ‘This animal, who hopes Israel will wipe out half my nation, is a base spy, not worth the shoe he threw on his TV channel, which is in crisis.’”