BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The first head of Palestine TV, Radwan Abu Ayash, passed away on Friday, Wafa news agency reported.

Radwan Abu Ayash was born in Askar refugee camp in Nablus, and his parents were refugees from al-Jammasin village in Yaffa. He had been living in Ramallah since 1968.

Fatah sent condolence to the Abu Ayash family.

Abu Ayash studied English at a training center for UNRWA. He worked as a teacher in Silwad schools at al-Bireh. He received a bachelors degree in English language from Birzeit University, and a masters degree in journalism from the University of Leicester. He had a doctorate degree from Ein Shams University in Egypt.

Abu Ayash worked as an editor in al-Shaab newspaper in Jerusalem, and then as a secretary for the Palestinian center for media services, and al-Awdah political weekly newspaper.

With some journalists, he established the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. He was elected as a chairman of the union for seven years.

He founded the media office in Jerusalem that Israeli forces closed down, and he was banned from entering Jerusalem; Israeli officials said that he was affiliated to the PLO.