80 Palestinian journalists sign petition protesting infiltration of their ranks

RAMALLAH [MENL] -- In advance of elections, scores of Palestinian journalists have called for a review of the membership of their professional association, saying it is filled with Palestinian Authority security agents whose job is to prevent an independent media.

The critics said the Arab Journalists Association is led by thugs aligned with the PA and Fatah faction of the PLO, many of whom now serve in the security services. The last elections were held in 1991.

The call comes amid a dispute that has divided the association, led by Fatah official Naim Tubassi. The General Assembly wants an executive board to be chosen before elections are held for the association's leadership. Tubassi opposes the move and wants elections held on Friday.

"An election under these circumstances would amount to falsifying our collective will," critics of Tubassi wrote in an announcement published in the PA-aligned Al Hayat al Jadida.

So far, at least 80 journalists have signed a petition that called for a neutral committee to determine membership criteria. They said many of the members of the association have long left journalism and work in PA security agencies.

Critics said that under the PA the association has been turned into a propaganda tool for PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.

"The PJU is treated as a public relations department for the PA and Fatah, and the Palestinian Authority often resorts to falsifying elections in order to maintain their grip on the union," Hebron-based journalist Khaled Amayreh said.

Amayreh said scores of PA security agents remain in the organization to ensure that it remains loyal to Arafat. "It is a totally sham process," he said.