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The Continuing Struggle of Palestinian Journalists for Freedom of the Press in the Palestinian Authority

(ICA/JCPA) Khaled Abu Toameh - When Arafat arrived in Gaza in 1994, there was a lot of hope that now the Palestinians would have a free media. However, the first thing the PLO did was to order an immediate crackdown on the Palestinian media. Many local journalists had their offices torched. Some were arrested, beaten, or had their equipment confiscated. Those who came with Arafat from Tunis came with what can be called an "Arab regime" mentality, the mentality of Nasser, the mentality of Arab dictatorships. They wanted to make sure that the Palestinian media was 100% under control. They secured control by appointing editors, by closing down newspapers, and by funding competing newspapers. What is the difference between the young guard and the old guard? Abu Mazen believes in the political track, that the only way to achieve something is through negotiations. The young guard believes there should be a two-track policy: negotiations and "resistance." The young guard is not prepared to give up the military option. So a victory for the young guard is not necessarily a victory for moderate voices. The Palestinians want freedom and democracy. Democracy might happen, but not in the near future. As long as you have armed gangs in the streets and as long as the Palestinian security forces are not real security forces and as long as there is no rule of law, you can't have democracy.
2006-01-03 00:00:00
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