BBC Monitoring

Text of report by Hamas-backed newspaper Filistin website on 15 January

[Report by Hadil Atallah: "Abu-Hashish: Abu-Khawsah's admission gives Filastin and the families of Al-Ishi and Abdu to institute legal proceedings against him"]

Dr Hasan Abu-Hashish, director of the government media office and Information Ministry under secretary in the Palestinian government, has condemned the statement made by Tawfiq Abu-Khawsah, a leading member of the Fatah movement, in which he justified the abduction and execution of the two journalist colleagues -Sulayman al-Ishi and Muhammad Abdu -by saying, "They are not journalists; they are the eyes of the Al-Qassam Brigades". In a statement to Filastin, Abu-Hashish added, "This admission denotes several things. It is a clear confession that the assassination of the two colleagues was a deliberate and programmed operation".

Abu-Hashish went on to say, "Abu-Khawsah's admission has also another important indication. It showed that the assassination was based on identity and political aff! iliation". Abu-Hashish pointed out that the murder of the two colleagues Al-Ishi and Abdu several other things. First, the two were Palestinian patriots and human beings that have the right to live. They also have the right to work in a press establishment that enjoys immunity. The admission also shows bragging about the crime. Abu-Hashish strongly denounced Abu-Khawsah's admission in which he denied that the murder was for journalistic motives. This information shows that the truth cannot be forgotten. The machine of media distortion cannot erase any truth no matter how weak the evidence.

Abu-Hashish affirmed that Abu-Khawsah's admission gives the right to the Filastin newspaper and the families of the martyrs to institute legal proceedings against him personally as well as on the tribal level. "The families of the victims should prosecute this person -who was part of the lawless establishment -so that the blood of their sons would go in vain", he said. He added that! Abu-Khawsah put on the robe of a journalist but inside this robe hide s a suppressive security man. On behalf of the government media office, Abu-Hashish called on human rights organizations to focus the spotlights on this case and to expose this heinous crime. He called on all media outlets to exercise their role and mission against this crime. He also called on the journalists to form a committee to protect the rights of journalists on professional standards.

Source: Filistin website, Gaza, in Arabic 15 Jan 08