English-language daily to cover Palestinians

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK — The first privately owned English-language daily newspaper in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestine Times, was launched Monday, with its editors saying they aim to provide news about the region to readers abroad.

The 12-page newspaper will cover Palestinian affairs, including the conflict with Israel and developments in the Arab community in Israel, said its editor in chief, Othman Haj Mohammed.

The newspaper is not affiliated with any Palestinian parties, Mohammed said.

The op-ed page of Monday’s edition included commentaries by the spokesman of the Hamas-led government, the spokesman of the rival Fatah Party and an independent analyst.

With an initial circulation of 5,000 and a newsstand price of a little more than $1, the newspaper will be distributed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Sales in Israel and an Internet edition are planned.

Monday’s edition led with a story on the Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and a report on the inactivity of the Palestinian parliament.

Mohammed said the paper planned to cover life in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from a Palestinian perspective.

“Many foreign mass media have been telling the Palestinian story with their standards. Now it is time for us to tell the world our story with our standards,” he said.