Palestinian Group Says It Killed "Corrupt" TV Chief
CAIRO (IslamOnline) - A Palestinian group claimed responsibility on Thursday for Wednesday's assassination of Palestinian Television chief Hesham Mekki on grounds of corruption allegations and profiting from public funds, news agencies reported.
Shohdaa al-Aqsa, or Martyrs for al-Aqsa, said in a statement released in Gaza that the group carried out the operation on Wednesday. Two hooded men opened fire at the 54-year-old Mekki as he dined in a restaurant in Gaza, killing him immediately.
The group has previously hunted down Israelis and carried out military operations against Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank and Gaza. The group said its "anti-corruption" unit was behind Wednesday's attack.
The shooting sends a message to officials of the Palestinian Authority who made fortunes after they began running Palestinian affairs in the occupied territories.
The PA received millions of dollars in aid from Western countries to foster peace with the Israelis. The Palestinian public has often complained that officials were not using funds for the purposes they were designed.
Mekki, an associate of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, but not a close aide, was often the object corruption accusations.
The Palestinian Authority initially blamed Israel for the attack, saying it was part of an Israeli campaign targeting Palestinian activists. Israel denied responsibility.
"The Israeli army and the Israeli security services had no involvement with this event," a statement issued by the Israeli army said.
Israel has, however, previously criticized Mekki, who chaired the Authority's television station since the Oslo Peace Agreements in 1992. They claim that Mekki helped inflame Palestinian feelings against Israelis by airing pictures of children being shot by Israeli troops. A few days earlier, Israel had withdrawn Mekki's VIP pass.
An IslamOnline correspondent in Gaza said the statement released by the underground group claiming responsibility was extremely inflammatory.
"He was a low-life thief who violated people's honor and dignity," the statement said in Arabic. "At a time when the Palestinian people were dying and sacrificing their lives to restore their land…he was bargaining with women [for sex] and plundering our people's money."
The group also blamed what it called "the Oslo Authority" for turning a blind eye to misdealings by Mekki and those like him in the Authority. Palestinian officials offered no comment to the statement.
