The new year began with the war in Gaza continuing, and the situation in Gaza remained the dominant focus of our partners’ press coverage within the Qarib program, particularly in Palestine and Lebanon.
Despite the daily challenges they face, our partners in the West Bank managed to produce materials that reflect the humanitarian reality in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They also covered the daily suffering of the people in the West Bank due to raids, checkpoints, and the tense security situation. Among these productions is a report by the Doz platform from Palestine, highlighting the daily hardships students endure to reach school amidst the difficult conditions in the West Bank camps caused by repeated raids and the resulting damage to infrastructure, which was already in a poor state.
Some of our partners in Palestine focused on the impact of the war on the daily lives of displaced people, particularly those with special needs—a struggle that has not received the coverage it deserves amidst the media’s focus on bombing and displacement.
Meanwhile, our partners in Lebanon reported on the repercussions of the conflict on the southern front between Hezbollah and Israel, shedding light on its effects on the people of southern Lebanon and the country as a whole.
Some reports featured preliminary figures that reveal the extent of the disaster, including the number of displaced individuals and the significant damage to olive groves, livestock farms, and homes. Just as in Gaza, thousands of families in Lebanon rely on fishing for their livelihood, but this daily activity in the south has been almost paralyzed due to the ongoing situation.
Our partners at the Megaphone platform, who have shifted much of their production to cover events in the Palestinian interior, also provided reports on the southern front’s impact on the fishing sector in Lebanon.
In Jordan, some partners launched productions supported by the Qarib program this month, joining other institutions that began broadcasting content at the end of last year on climate change, the influence of social media on the younger generation, the role of women in the labor market, and other topics. The Aramram platform, for example, chose to highlight the transportation sector and its impact on women’s participation in economic life and their choices.
Our Partners in Iraq
In addition to Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon, our support for seventeen media platforms in Iraq also came into effect at the beginning of the year. These platforms are spread across the country, from Basra, Najaf, Amara, Karbala, Anbar, and Diyala to Halabja, Sulaymaniyah, and Erbil, as well as Mosul. Some of these platforms are run by women, while others are managed by young people. They will launch various productions addressing the concerns of people in these regions and throughout Iraq.
Entry of New Partners
The first week of January marked the deadline for applications from platforms and media institutions focusing on regional coverage and seeking a grant to support the coverage of issues and news relevant to the public and marginalized groups. Through this grant, five new institutions will join the program, alongside those that began their work in the last months of last year within the framework of the Qarib program.
This update concludes here, but the activity of the Qarib program is far from over. Next month, we will provide more information about our partners and activities. Additionally, the Qarib team has already begun preparations for the annual event it organizes on International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8th each year.