Will new TV station boost Abbas' Fatah?
Photo: AFP
New Fatah TV station to take on Hamas
Fatah decides to establish television, radio stations to counter Hamas' media supremacy
While reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah continue, officials in Mahmoud Abbas' movement are preparing to establish a television station and other media outlets, in a bid to counter the influence of Hamas' highly popular television and radio stations.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority's official television and radio stations are also undergoing great changes, under the supervision of the PLO's Yasser Abed Rabbo.
Following Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip, Fatah members complained that the Islamic movement took advantage of a well-oiled propaganda machine in the form of television and radio stations that constantly aired Hamas messages, and particularly the al-Aqsa stations.
Earlier this week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas approved the recommendation to establish a Fatah television station in Cairo and Ramallah, as well as a radio station, website, and newspaper – in order to counter Hamas' media supremacy. The new media arsenal will be headed by Abbas associate Nabil Amre.
However, a senior Fatah official told Ynet that the movement's inferiority vis-à-vis Hamas' highly popular al-Aqsa station will not disappear, as Hamas also has the largest station in the Arabic world, hinting that the Qatar-based al-Jazeera has fully adopted Hamas' position in its struggle with Fatah.
