“They spearheaded the systematic campaign of incitement against President Mahmoud Abbas and his prime minister, Mohammed Shtayyeh."
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHABBAS CONFERS with senior Fatah official Mahmoud Aloul (right) during a ceremony marking the anniversary of the death of late PLO leader Yasser Arafat, in Ramallah on November 11, 2018.(photo credit: REUTERS)
In an unprecedented move, the Palestinian ruling Fatah faction has published the names and photos of three Israeli journalists, accusing them of “incitement” against the Palestinian Authority leadership.In a post on its Facebook page, Fatah called on Palestinians to be wary of: Yoni Ben-Menachem, former director-general of the Israel Broadcasting Authority and analyst for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs; Gal Berger, Palestinian affairs correspondent for KAN, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation; and Ehud Ya’ari, Arab affairs analyst for Channel 12.The post includes a video clip by Fatah that describes the three journalists as “Israeli war generals masquerading as media people.” The photos of the journalists appear next to a tank, implying that they are part of the Israeli military establishment.The post apparently came in response to Israeli accusations that some senior Palestinian officials have been using the coronavirus pandemic to incite against Israel. PA officials have denied the charges.“They spearheaded the systematic campaign of incitement against President Mahmoud Abbas and his prime minister, Mohammed Shtayyeh,” says a caption attached to the post. “Observers believe that the [Palestinian] efficacy in combating the coronavirus has bothered the Israelis.”The post describes Ben-Menachem, a veteran expert on Palestinian affairs, as a former “Israeli intelligence officer who later became a journalist.”Berger is described in the Fatah post as a “military journalist” who produced reports “about Palestine, especially before and after the division,” an apparent reference to the power struggle between Fatah and Hamas. According to the Fatah post, Berger’s resume does not mention anything about his military service, “which makes it likely that he had served in an internal-security apparatus.”The post describes Ya’ari as a former adviser to the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) who is “close to circles of government and holds right-wing views.”The post claims that Ya’ari opposed the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO and had “written against [former prime minister Yitzhak] Rabin.”
The Fatah video clip claims that the “Palestinian state of harmony and complementarity [in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic] is bothering the Israeli government, which is trying to cast doubts about it.” The video clip concludes by urging the Palestinians: “Beware of them.”In response, Ya’ari told The Jerusalem Post: “I’m fortunate to have many friends who are members of Fatah, and I’m sure they had a good laugh watching this clip.”Berger expressed regret that some in the PA leadership are unable to tolerate any form of criticism. He told the Post: “I’m sorry that the Palestinian mindset doesn’t accept criticism of the establishment.”Berger denied that he was engaged in incitement against the Palestinian leadership. “We only quote their incitement [against Israel], and they consider our reporting as incitement,” he said.Asked if he was worried for his safety following the Fatah post, Berger said: “I hope this incitement will remain on social media and won’t have any impact on the ground. On the other hand, I wish to point out that serious people in the PA leadership know how to appreciate criticism.”
