by Tatiana Repkova

The Palestine Times is the only English-language Palestinian daily newspaper and as of March 17, it is being distributed throughout Israel, The Jerusalem Post reports. The founder and editor-in-chief of The Palestine Times, Othman Haj Mohammed, says his purpose is to show the "real image of Palestinians."

"My message is simple. I want to show our readers an image of Palestinians as a real, human society with all its needs. With its stories of failure and success, its sad moments and its happy moments. The Palestinians are not only about Fatah and Hamas. They are about culture, arts, social issues and about helping the environment," Haj Mohammed said.

Moti Mizrachi, a newspaper stand owner in Jerusalem, told The Jerusalem Post that he was looking forward to reading the paper, but added it would be inaccessible for many Israelis to read it since it is written in English. "Most Israelis don't really have the energy for that... usually only the academics, the university students read in English, and those people already know more about what goes on with the Palestinians," he said. Mizrachi added that he was interested to read what Palestinians say about themselves and their government, especially in light of the recent adoption of a Palestinian unity government.

Israelis should read The Palestine Times to get a "first-hand view," Othman said. "We are trying to show the Israelis that we are human beings. All of the emphasis is on the political scene and fighting."

The first edition of the daily was published last November. It includes sections on business, food, sports, health and the environment, as well as news and opinion pieces. There are three Arabic daily newspapers currently in circulation in the Palestinian Authority, including Al Quds, Al Ayyam and Al Hayat Al Jadida.

http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Culture/10949.htm