Great Moments in Palestinian Press Freedom

Another great moment in Palestinian press freedom: PA security forces are questioning a journalist who wrote that Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas…

By Pesach Benson January 10, 2012

Ismail Haniyeh, "Legitimate Prime Minister?"

Another great moment in Palestinian press freedom: PA security forces are questioning a journalist who wrote that Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas is the “legitimate Palestinian prime minister.”

Even more interesting — the journo in question has his own ties to Hamas. The Jerusalem Post explains:

Khaled Amayreh, who writes for the Egyptian Al- Ahram Weekly newspaper and is affiliated with Hamas, said he was summoned twice in the past few days to the headquarters of the PA Preventive Security Service in Hebron.

Amayreh, 55, was questioned about statements he made recently in which he criticized the PA leadership and described Haniyeh as the legitimate prime minister.

The Palestinian Journalists Forum condemned the summoning of Amayreh, saying it was in the context of the PA’s crackdown on freedom of expression in the West Bank.

The group said the PA security officers told the journalist that he would be summoned for questioning every day because of his statements and writings.

I wonder if Al-Ahram employs other reporters in the West Bank or Gaza affiliated with Hamas, Fatah, the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafi al-Nour, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah . . .

(Image of Haniyeh via YouTube/euronewsit)

© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025

Pesach Benson

Pesach Benson

A Baltimore native, Pesach was with HonestReporting from 2011 to 2020. He edited the Israel Daily News Stream and authored the e-book, Red Lines: HonestReporting’s 8 Categories of Media Bias. Before moving to Israel in 1995, he worked as a reporter for the Baltimore Jewish Times. Pesach has a B.A. in political science from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, where he was executive editor of the campus newspaper.

Discover More

Get clear, reliable Israel news and tools to fight media bias.

Subscribe