Matthew Chance: Palestinian TV director gunned down in restaurant

Matthew Chance

CNN Correspondent Matthew Chance has been covering the Middle East struggle for peace.

CNN Moderator: What details are known about the assassination?

Matthew Chance: The details are very sketchy at the moment. But what we do know is that Hisham Miki, who was the director general of Palestine Television, was gunned down and killed in the restaurant of a hotel here in Gaza. We have been told at least two masked gunmen casually walked into the restaurant firing a number of shots, two of which hit Mr. Miki at very close range one in the head, one in the chest. No one else in the restaurant was injured. We were told by officials at the scene that Mr. Miki was killed on the spot.

CNN Moderator: Who exactly was Hisham Miki?

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Matthew Chance: As the director general of the official television station, he was a senior and prominent figure in the Palestinian community in Gaza. He was very well known to the general public, and he was also a very close associate of the Palestinian authority President Yasser Arafat. He is affiliated with Mr. Arafat's faction and has often been pictured sitting next to him at Friday prayers. Other than that, Mr. Miki's profile on the political level was relatively low. His duties extended only to managing Palestinian television, and he is not believed to have been a member of Arafat's close inner political circle as such.

Questions from chat room: Did the victim have any known enemies?

Matthew Chance: Well I think very few people here are lucky enough to have no enemies. As the director general of Palestinian Television, Mr. Miki and his television station have been repeatedly criticized by the Israeli government for broadcasting what they say is Palestinian propaganda on the air waves which Israelis say is inciting the Palestinian people to more violence.

An official statement from the Palestinian leadership apparently points the finger of blame at Israel, or at those working for Israel. The Israeli authorities deny any involvement.

CNN Moderator: Are there any specific suspects, and who has been questioned so far?

Matthew Chance: The Palestinian security services say they are closely examining the restaurant where Mr. Miki was killed, questioning witnesses and investigating whatever leads they can to try and find the person or people responsible. At this stage, though, beyond the official statement, which says that Mr. Miki was " . . . martyred by the bullet of treason and collaborators . . ." there has been no other specific pointing of the finger of blame.

Question from chat room: Does an incident like this, the assassination of such a well-known figure, impact the progress of peace talks significantly?

Matthew Chance: Well, it is not going to help the progress of those talks. I think killings like this--that of a high-profile Palestinian official in this way--only serve to add to the atmosphere of tension and violence that exists.

However, it is not clear if this killing will, in any way, derail the peace efforts that are under way. In fact, it has been announced within the last few hours that the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is to meet the Israel Foreign Minister, Schlomo Ben-Aami, for talks in Cairo, Egypt this evening. These talks are a continuation of on-going contacts between the two sides to resolve the wide gaps that still exist between their respective positions on key issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Question from chat room: What about allegations of corruption at Palestinian Authority, would not that create enemies?

Matthew Chance: There have been allegations of corruption against senior officials in the Palestinian Authority and against Hisham Miki specifically. It is true that conflicting business interests in Gaza, like anywhere else, could lead to violence and assassinations. At this stage, though, we have no independent confirmation about who was involved in the attack-- whether it was indeed a criminal act carried out by some aggrieved person or group of individuals or whether it was the work of Israel as the Palestinian Authority have indicated. I want to stress again that Israel security forces have categorically denied any involvement in this killing.

CNN Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Matthew Chance.

Matthew Chance: Thank you.

Matthew Chance joined the chat room via telephone from Gaza City. CNN provided a typist. The above is an edited transcript of the interview on Wednesday, January 17, 2001.

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