Palestinian Officials Sue Local TV Show

The Palestinian police and doctors’ union filed two law suits against Palestine TV and comedy show Watan A’la Watar on grounds of distorting their image, according to a report published Tuesday in the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper. It said Adnan Damiri, spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, said that the show, which is produced and aired every night on the official Palestine TV, contained unnecessary insults far from ethics and comedy; it portrayed the police as vulgar people to the point where they get drunk by just smelling the breath of a drunken person. “We support freedom of expression and criticism if it is done in a positive way and within the bounds of decency,” he was quoted as saying in the newspaper. “We demand that the law should take its course and the police should get an appropriate compensation.” The doctors’ union also filed a law suit against Palestine TV. The union considered the show to be offensive to doctors and the union, calling to take the necessary legal measures against it. Imad Faragin, writer of the script and an actor in the show, rejected the claims against his show. He said that since the police, the doctors’ union and other parties have decided to sue the show, “we will be waiting to see what would be the position of President Mahmoud Abbas.” “If President Abbas decides to stop broadcasting the show, I will file a law suit against him with the support of Palestinian and foreign lawyers…I will go to court alone with my camera and God on my side and let it be the trial of the century,” he said. Faragin condemned the legal action against the show and said that he takes full responsibility for the script, the part he played and all characters played in the show. “This trial in my opinion will turn into a public matter, particularly since I did not come up with stories from my own imagination…We will always be the mirror reflecting the Palestinian people’s concerns, problems and views,” he said. “Medical mistakes and the unprofessional performances of some doctors are also part of peoples’ concerns.” He said that “the Palestinian people are continuously complaining about the mistreatment they receive in public and private hospitals and about recklessness of some doctors. However, this does not mean all doctors are unprofessional.”