Introduction

Ever since its inception, MIFTAH has sought to contribute to the development of the local media, utilizing several means including conferences, workshops, specialized publications training courses monitoring and analysis. While MIFTAH is fully aware of the difficult conditions under which the media operates, most importantly the Israeli occupation, absence of sovereignty and weak rule of law and institutions, it still seeks advancement with all possible means, through advancing the media discourse and improving the performance of individuals and institutions working in the media.

MIFTAH, through its Media Monitoring Unit, strives to follow up, analyze and examine the content of several major Palestinian media channels. The responsiveness of media persons towards this endeavor, their acceptance of objective criticism and their pursuit for change and improvement please us. This was the case during the implementation of the first phase of the “Monitoring the Media Coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict” project, implemented in cooperation with the Center for the Protection of Democracy in Israel-Keshev, which had monitored the coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Israeli media.

The second phase of the project seeks to take new avenues through monitoring, examining and analyzing the media discourse towards specific issues. It also comprises training young journalists, re-editing and layout of samples of newspaper front pages, publishing a journalism manual, conducting a journalist survey on issues related to media coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as publishing special reports that focus on specific prominent issues that attracted media coverage.

In this context, MIFTAH issued a special report entitled the “Bloody Sunday that addressed the coverage of the three main Palestinian newspapers-Al-Ayyam, Al-Quds and Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah- of the bloody events that took place early October 2006 in the West Bank and Gaza, because of the major rift between “Fateh” and “Hamas” and the tense and charged atmosphere in the Palestinian arena. The report addressed the role of these three main newspapers during that period.

This report entitled “The Palestinian National Unity Government and Prospects for Peace” addresses the media coverage of two main issues that the Steering Committee of the Media Monitoring Unit had identified: The efforts for the formation of the National Unity Government, and the prospects for peace between Palestinians and Israelis amid changes in the region, in particular following the Israeli war against Lebanon. The report covers the period between 1 September-31 December 2006, during which the Monitoring Unit staff recorded and examined the three newspapers, Al-Ayyam, Al-Quds and Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah as well as Palestine Television (PBC) at 6:00-11:00 p.m.

To View the Full Report as PDF (3.5 MB)