Political dimension of the Palestinian media

There is no doubt that the Palestinian press served as an instrument for political communication and thus a tool for political mobilization. Palestinians have lived under the control of different powers and as a result of this foreign domination the Palestinian media have tended to be more political than commercial. This political dimension was also visible in the way the Palestinian press gave equal if not more significance to covering pan-Arab issues rather than focusing solely on Palestinian nationalism. Palestine is a conflict zone because of its position geographically and historically as a holy place for the world’s three major religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The media in Palestine has been a target of all the powers which have ruled over it during the last century. Independent media remained an illusion and varying forms of censorship and self-censorship continued to shape journalism. The different forms of censorship prevented journalists from taking part in promoting debate and democracy in Palestinian society. According to the Oslo agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, Israel had to withdraw from Gaza and Jericho city of West Bank. As a result in 1994 the Palestinian Authority (PA) had been established and returned to take over the Palestinian territories. This situation has made the Palestinian media expect to work freely and enjoy the freedom from the Israeli censorship. In addition, the PA had committed to respect freedom of expression and Human rights. But the expectations have failed where the Palestinian Authority have to suppress the freedom of speech in order to satisfy the US Administration and to commit with its agreements with Israel.
The creation of Palestinian Authority formed a new socio-political situation. The political groups were divided into two main parties-;- one that supports the PLO and its negotiations with Israel and others that refuse and condemn the agreements. Realizing the importance of the media in mobilizing public opinion, each party tried to use its own media to shape the public sphere and to succeed in gaining the public support. There was race to control and own the media in the Palestinian Territories. The PA started two newspapers Al-Haya Al-Jadida (The New Life), and Al-Ayyam (The Days). Started in November 1994, Al-Haya Al-Jadida replaced the official PLO newspaper Falastine Al-Thawra (Palestine Revolution) and continued to represent the official PA political line while Al-Ayyam started in December 1995 and represented new editions of Al-Fajr (The Dawn) and Al-Sha’ab (The People), which were linked to the PLO and had been recently closed.
The other parties which condemned the negotiations with Israel are the Islamic parties, led by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. These parties sought to own the media to mobilize the public and gain their support. Hamas established its weekly newspaper Al-Watan (The Homeland) and criticised the Palestinian Authority for its agreement with Israel and subsequent actions. Another newspaper, Al-Resala (The Message), started in 1996, presented Hamas views and also criticised the PA. The Islamic Jihad founded their newspaper Al-Estiqlal (The Independence) which reflected the party position and criticised the Palestinian Authority’s strategies. The appearance of such critical voices irritated the Palestinian Authority and they began to harass the newspaper. The Palestinian Authority has cancelled the licenses of Al-Watan and Al-Estiqlal and closed eight television stations in the West Bank.
Arafat, the Palestinian President, was acutely aware of the power of the mass media and in July 1994, the PA started the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), to be led by his appointee, Radwan Abu Ayyash, a former head of the Palestinian Journalist Association in the West Bank. However, in the case of the PA – which controls much of the media – this relationship has been deeply problematic, with the media -function-ing as a mouthpiece of the PA elite, who use and abuse it in order to present their views and defend their political agenda.
In order to gain public support, the Islamic movement Hamas launched its Al-Aqsa TV station in Gaza. The launch was in January 2006 and came a few days before Palestinian legislative elections. The station reflects Hamas views and demonstrates the positive aspects of a movement considered a terrorist organization by the US and Israel. Just three weeks after the launch, the Palestinian Authority closed the station on the grounds that it did not have the proper license to broadcast. Despite PA’s apparent commitment to protect the freedom of the press, many media offices have been closed and Palestinian journalists jailed. In addition, different forms of censorship continue to take place.
In January 2006, Hamas won the legislative elections in Gaza, indicating the end of the Palestinian Authority rule there. Clashes between Fatah and Hamas factions led to the creation of two authorities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In 2007 all Arab efforts to form a national unity government failed. Consequently, the tensions had risen to the level of an armed conflict during which Hamas took over the Palestinian Authority institutions in the Gaza Strip. This political conflict between Fatah and Hamas also affected freedom of expression. Many journalists and media entities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank had witnessed several attacks. A number of radio and television stations as well as newspapers were attacked and their equipment confiscated. The dispute between the two factions led the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to ban Hamas newspapers-;- meanwhile Hamas prohibited Fatah newspapers from entering Gaza. In addition, Hamas raided Palestine Television and confiscated its equipment. The Palestine Television office in Ramallah was taken over while the Al-Aqsa television station continued broadcasting.

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