I called a friend a few days ago to congratulate him on his birthday and to check on him after his recent trip to the US. He told me I’d be pleased to know that when he met a few congressmen (who clearly Googled him prior to the meetings), they all told him that he kept appearing in a magazine called This Week in Palestine! I was indeed pleased because this confirms that the magazine has effectively become a source of information on Palestine and on Palestinians. Hardly surprising when the periodical has been continuously providing content for two and a half decades.
Given this reality, however, we could say that This Week in Palestine is living its best days and, simultaneously, its worst days. On one hand, it is receiving an abundance of quality material to publish, which is not surprising considering the onslaught on Gaza and the seemingly never-ending genocide. On the other hand, however, our government is practically broke; the 150,000+ laborers are not allowed to cross into Israel to earn money, and very few tourists are coming. It feels as though the whole country is cash-strapped. Not only that, but a few days ago, the “wonderful” Israeli minister of finance, Smotrich, announced that Palestinian banks will soon be disconnected from the outside world. I doubt that this decision will hold because, in a practical sense, it means that Palestine’s “booming” economy will collapse. I expect the “humane” United States will intervene at some point, hopefully this century!
How does all this affect This Week in Palestine? When it comes to the sponsorship of an issue, for example, we have to ask: Which private sector institution would want to link its name with war and genocide? And as for humanitarian donor agencies, it’s clear that their priority is to deal with famine and to try to keep Gazans alive, and rightly so. Nonetheless, TWiP has managed to remain afloat (proof being that you’re reading this column), mainly because of support from a couple of private sector institutions that have requested to remain anonymous. In addition, we have been receiving some financial support from some of our readers.
On a more positive note, the international interest in Palestine because of the current humanitarian catastrophe has skyrocketed, and people all over the world are seeking information on Palestine. Having published 312 issues to date, This Week in Palestine has amassed thousands of professionally edited articles on various sectors in Palestine, rendering it a credible source of information on Palestine. For this reason, This Week in Palestine is working to launch an international online campaign to subscribe and support the magazine. It just makes sense, doesn’t it? This campaign however, needs promotion, and promotion costs money.
You’re invited to support this campaign by donating to This Week in Palestine through https://thisweekinpalestine.com/product/donate/.
Thank you in advance.
Long live Palestine!
Publisher
Sani Meo
