Twenty-four years ago, while in charge of a small television operation at Al Quds University, my team and I decided to broadcast live sessions of the Palestinian Legislative Council dealing with corruption in the newly established Palestinian Authority. The broadcast angered people in Yasser Arafat’s entourage and I was arrested and jailed for seven days without any explanation.
Op-Ed: How the autocratic rule of Mahmoud Abbas fails Palestinians
The killing of a critic of the Abbas government has enraged Palestinians who want free elections and political reform.
I recall that event after Nizar Banat, a popular and vocal critic of President Mahmoud Abbas’ leadership, was arrested on Thursday by Palestinian security forces and died after a few hours in custody.