Fatah spokesman tapped to head Palestinian broadcasting division
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Published: JANUARY 9, 2016 21:11
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday appointed Fatah spokesman Ahmed Assaf as General Supervisor of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) and the official news agency Wafa.
The two institutions are considered the PA's most significant media outlets and serve as a mouthpiece for the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah.
PBC consists of Palestine TV and the Sawt Falastine (Voice of Palestine) radio station.
The appointment of Assaf came days after Palestine TV aired ran a 45-minute interview with senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub in which he implicitly criticized Abbas and the top brass of the PA.
Rajoub said that Palestinians were suffering from a "moral and leadership crisis." He also praised the Palestinians involved in attacks against Israelis over the past three months.
Following the interview, Abbas and some of his aides expressed outrage with Palestine TV for providing Rajoub with a platform to sound his criticism of the PA leadership.
The appointment of Assaf is seen by top Fatah officials as part of Abbas's effort to tighten his grip on the PA's official media outlets and silence his critics.