September, the month of the war’s expansion
What was expected has happened, the war in Lebanon has expanded to include areas deeper in the south and reached the Bekaa Valley to the east of Lebanon. For the first time on this scale, the southern suburb of Beirut and all its neighborhoods were bombed, something that was not witnessed in the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. These developments led to the displacement of more than one million and three hundred thousand people, the majority of whom were Lebanese, but also Syrians and Palestinians, who spread out on the roads, schools and some public places. There was also a heavy movement of thousands of Syrians and hundreds of Lebanese crossing from Lebanon to Syria to escape the bombing.
The circumstances that the region is going through forced us to postpone the annual regional meeting of our partners, which was scheduled for the sixteenth and seventeenth of October. The new date is in November, hopefully circumstances will allow it to be held.
In addition to postponing the regional meeting, the announcement of the names of the winners of the Qarib Press Awards was also postponed to the last day of our regional meeting in November.
These developments have dominated the coverage of our partners in Lebanon, and you will see some of their work in this magazine. While the Gaza war and what is happening in the West Bank remain the main focus of our partners’ coverage in Palestine. Our 17 partners in Iraq have distinguished themselves by shedding light on aspects not covered by traditional media, addressing several topics and issues that concern people and do not take up space in coverage.
As for our partners in Jordan, they have continued to address various issues in different forms, from radio to video to written and podcasts.
Here are some of our partners’ productions
Lebanon
Manateq
Manatiq platform is a unique platform in Lebanon, as it specializes in covering neglected and marginalized areas that do not receive the required media coverage. In this war, it has turned to covering the conditions of villages and cities that have been abandoned by their inhabitants and those that are being bombed, including the historic city of Baalbek, which was known as the City of the Sun in the Roman and Greek eras and is classified as a world heritage site according to UNESCO.
Megaphone
In Lebanon, with the number of displaced people reaching more than one million and three hundred thousand, a large number of volunteers have been recorded to help the displaced people who have been sleeping on the streets and in schools. The Megaphone platform has highlighted one of these initiatives carried out by a group of young people. They are working to distribute meals to the displaced people after converting a commercial restaurant into a kitchen that produces hundreds of meals daily.
Daraj
Daraj Media platform, which covers what is happening in the region, has focused its coverage on Lebanon, in addition to Gaza, and is working to shed light on the suffering of displacement inside and outside Lebanon. This report is about the flight of thousands of Lebanese and Syrians across the Lebanese border to Syria.
Noqta
As for the Noqta platform, the feminist laboratory, which has turned most of its productions to the situation in Lebanon in the last two weeks, it has worked to publish various issues about women, social pressures, and other aspects that fall within the category of discrimination and oppression against women.
Palestine
Dooz
Paramedics in times of war play a pivotal role in saving what can be saved and helping those who can be helped, but they are also a target in this report by Dooz from Palestine. The story of Tamer from Balata camp in Nablus, told by his colleagues.
Palestinian News Network PNN
From the West Bank, where settlement expansion and Israeli incursions continue in conjunction with the ongoing war on Gaza, a story of building a church for prayer on land that Palestinians consider sacred.
Jordan
Radio An-Najah
Other issues, including environmental issues, remain a focus of interest for some of our partners, including Radio An-Najah in Jordan, especially environmental issues. This podcast discusses the impact of climate change on food security.
Radio Ad-Dhulayl
From the city of Ad-Dhulayl in Az-Zarqa Governorate, a dialogue discusses the social aspect of the impact of social media, specifically on the family itself.
Iraq
Success stories are one of the issues that Yalla platform addressed when it addressed the story of the young Babylonian woman Aseel, who has been a professional driver for six years to prove that driving is not exclusive to men.