PHRMG: Palestinian Authority Controls Jerusalem Newspaper

Al-Quds [Jerusalem]
Al-Quds is the most widely distributed newspaper, read by 61.3% of the readers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (according to a poll organized by Jerusalem Media & Communications Center (JMCC) in August 1998). It was established in 1951 and was published under the name “Al-Jihad” until 1967 which is when it was joined by “Al-Difa’a” to give it its present name “Al-Quds”. Its owner and publisher is Mahmoud Abu-Zalaf. Its chief editor is his son, Waleed Abu-Zalaf.

Prior to the Intifada (uprising), the newspaper followed the line of Jordan, but after the Intifada there was an agreement between the administration of the newspaper and the PLO that the newspaper would follow only a Palestinian line and that the PLO would, in turn, support it financially.

After the coming of the PA, the placement of the censor’s red lines was no longer so clear: a dispute between the PA and al-Quds over the number of people attending one of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) rallies occurred and resulted in General Ghazi al-Jabali, head of the Palestinian Police, blocking the distribution of al-Quds in the Gaza Strip for four days. Following this occurrence, a close relationship was forged between the administrative editor of al-Quds and Colonel Jibreel al-Rujoub, Head of the Preventive Security in the West Bank, which resulted in daily contact between the two parties with a view to agreeing firstly on what should appear on the front page of each edition and secondly on the content of articles criticising the Authority or one of its institutions.

For the PA’s strategy to be executed perfectly and to avoid journalists wasting time, they are given instructions on how to write and edit articles and reports that are void of any critical analysis by the journalist himself. If a piece of news is deemed to be vital but criticizes the authority, it is published in an inconspicuous place within the paper and with a small heading. Thus the story in effect loses its importance. Moreover, when a piece mentions that a security organ has abused a citizen, the newspaper inevitably fails to give details of the name or age of the victim and fails to mention which security department has been responsible. If the matter involves criticism of high officials in the Authority, al-Quds does not publish anything on the matter until it has been dealt with by other papers. A journalist who works for al-Quds is on record as having said that “before publishing the report on corruption within the PA, I had to submit a draft copy of it: the newspaper did not publish it immediately. If it had done so, this would have constituted a precedent. After this episode, I stayed at home for a week not doing anything”.

At times the newspaper is asked to delay publication of a report dealing with an error committed by the PA until the latter straightens things out. After this has been done, the newspaper publishes a report both on the error as well as on its rectification. On other occasions a journalist from the paper is asked to conduct an interview with someone who is on good terms with the owner of the paper whilst the paper refuses to publish anything on individuals that are on bad terms with the owner.