Mutual incitement halted in Hamas and Fatah media
Reconciliation has brought about a new media policy, focusing on the "positives" of agreement between rival Palestinian factions
Saleh Naami , Saturday 30 Apr 2011
The declaration of a reconciliation deal between rival Palestinian movements Hamas and Fatah led to the end of hostile campaigns in their media affiliates almost immediatly.
The media has instead moved to tackle issues related to reconciliation objectively, emphasising the positive outcomes that the move could hold for the Palestinian people.
The new atmosphere is reflected in the editorials now propagating through the media, including television and radio stations.
The TV and radio stations called "Filistine," affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, have stopped referring to the Hamas government as a "government of putschists". In return, the Hamas affiliates "Al-Aqsa" radio and TV stopped calling the Palestinian president one "whose term has expired," and the PA's security as "Fatah's militias".
The media has also minimised its focus on "negative practices" like arrests in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank by the two factions.
The fresh media policy has focused on the Palestinian public, their views of reconciliation and their hopes for improvements in its wake in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Talk shows have also invited prominent political figures from both factions known for their inclination towards reconciliation.
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