Come December 2021, This Week in Palestine will celebrate its 23rd anniversary. There was no rest for the wicked during all this time, but our platform ended up with literally thousands of non-news articles that essentially promote and document Palestine. Inadvertently, TWiP’s archive has become a (mini-) Palestinian national archive.
Our aim now is to launch a focused international campaign (virtually, of course), inviting all those interested in Palestine, friend or foe as I say, to delve into a plethora of content on Palestine. You want to know about Palestine’s cultural heritage? Here are 122 articles. Culinary issues? Here are 146 articles! The list is long. In fact, we will have over 70 categories to choose from. Accessing the bulk of the content will not be free, but a sizable portion will be available at no charge. In order to access the entire archive, there will be a (very) reasonable subscription fee. This Week in Palestine is not a business but a mission, and even missions need funding to be realized.
Prior to launching the campaign, some costly and time-consuming administrative work needs to be done. If the articles are to appear in various search engines, each of them must be tagged with its relevant list of categories. Once this work has been done, we will seek professional advice to determine which platforms to advertise on. We will target Palestinians who live in the diaspora, particularly those in the Arabian Gulf and South America. We will also target academic institutions that teach Middle Eastern studies. The list is long but will certainly include institutions that work in human rights issues, solidarity groups, think tanks, UN agencies, international NGOs, etc. – influencers and decision-makers, in other words.
Admittedly, this is a lot of work, but since passion is an essential ingredient, it can actually be fun. HOWEVER (and do notice the block letters!), I need to voice my dismay and disappointment at not finding one single public-sector or civil-society institution willing to shoulder this (in my opinion) important project. Not even one businessperson. We will proceed, though, and eventually become a rich source of information on Palestine. A source that documents the Palestinian narrative. Our adversary’s media machine is global, savvy, and influential. However, as faint as our voice might be, let it be there for those who seek it.
Within the vast amount of feedback that we have received during the past 23 years, two comments have consistently reappeared: “You make us proud,” and “You connect us with Palestine.” I pray that we will continue to do both.
Long live Palestine!
By Sani Meo
Publisher
