PA TORCHES CRITICS AND BEATS JOURNALISTS

Palestinian Professor Accuses PA of Car Torching - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
Palestinian professor Abdel Sattar Kassem, who has been waging a public campaign against corruption in the PA for many years, on Thursday accused PA security forces of torching his car in Nablus on Wednesday. Kassem escaped an attempt on his life in 1995 when a gunman opened fire and wounded him. He is closely associated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and between 1996 and 2000 was arrested three times by PA security forces.

Palestinian Journalists Beaten by PA Security Forces - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
Palestinian journalists on Wednesday refused to cover a visit by PA Chairman Abbas to the Civil Police headquarters in Gaza City after some of them were beaten by security officers. The journalists complained that while they were waiting for Abbas to arrive, some policemen started pushing them in a violent manner and cursing them. Information Minister Nabil Shaath revealed on Wednesday that many Palestinian journalists and media outlets had been on the PA's payroll for years.