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Journalism of Courage
As sex tapes go,its fairly tamea man gets undressed in a bedroom,slides under the covers,plumps the pillows and calls to a woman to join him. But the man is a top aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,and a former Palestinian intelligence official who secretly recorded the scene alleges the aide tried to trade his influence for sex.
The footage of the aide,Rafiq Husseini,has sent shock waves through conservative Palestinian society since it was broadcast on Israeli TV earlier this week.
It has left the Palestinian leader scrambling for a response and his rivals from the Islamic militant group Hamas gloating.
Abbas,who is traveling in the Far East and is due back in the West Bank on Monday,has not commented. Other Abbas aides rallied around Husseini,saying he would stay on as Abbass chief of staff for now.
Husseini has not appeared in public since the video was broadcast by Israels Channel 10 TV in a report that also included allegations of high-level financial wrongdoing.
Husseini,who has often served as the point man for explaining the Palestinian cause to foreign audiences,was expected to appear on on Palestine TV on Friday,according to the station. But Husseini did not show. Instead,the host read a statement from him.
I promise the viewers to reveal the complete truth,and I am ready for accountability if it was proven that I did something wrong, said the statement read on the air.
