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Palestinian journalists express anger at Fatah-led union

January 30, 2023 at 1:40 pm

Palestinian flags [Cristina Szucinski – Anadolu Agency]

Dozens of Palestinian journalists in the occupied territories voiced their anger on Sunday against an extraordinary general meeting held by the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate. The Fatah-led union announced its plans to amend its laws at the meeting under the patronage of Fatah media commissioner Ahmad Assaf and PLO member Wasel Abu Yousef.

The meeting was held simultaneously in halls in Ramallah and Gaza, but not all journalists were invited to attend. Nevertheless, union head Nasser Abu Baker said that the meeting had a quorum and decisions taken would be valid.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Forum (PJF) accused the union, which is dominated by Fatah, of orchestrating a “fake” conference to amend its laws and add new laws that are solely in Fatah’s interests.

“This conference is nothing but a comic play that aims to maintain certain domination of the syndicate,” said Saud Abu Ramadan, a veteran journalist who represented Fatah in the union for years.

According to rights advocate Dr Salah Abdul Ati, “The meeting reinforced division among Palestinian journalist and included several flagrant law violations.”

Although ordinary general meetings are supposed to be held every three years, the last was held 11 years ago.

The PJF revealed that several Palestinian journalists, whose union membership renewals had been rejected, attempted to attend the meeting, but they were pushed out of the halls.

“We have called for holding a normal conference to renew the mandate of the syndicate and to end the division among journalists,” explained the forum, “but this conference was held to deepen the division.”

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