, abbreviation = WAFA
, logo = wafalogo.jpg
, image =
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News agency
A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and All-news radio, radio and News broadcasting, television Broadcasting, broadcasters. A news agency may ...
, products =
Wire service
A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and radio and television broadcasters. A news agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire, ...
,
News
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...
,
Photos
A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now created ...
,
Video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
, formation =
, founder =
Ziyad Abdel Fattah
Ziyad Jamil Abdel Fattah (Arabic: زياد عبد الفتاح; born March 3, 1939) is a Palestinian politician, writer, journalist and novelist, born in Tulkarm, Palestine. He is one of the leaders of the Fatah movement, founder of the Pales ...
, key_people = Ahmad Assaf ,
Khuloud Assaf
, area_served = Worldwide
, revenue =
, headquarters =
Ramallah
Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...
,
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
, operating_income =
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, parent_organization =
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,
, homepage =
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, staff = 260
''Wafa'' ( ar, وفا, "trust", acronym from its full name in ar, وكالة الأنباء الفلسطينية ''Wikalat al-Anba al-Filastinija''
), also known as the Palestine News Agency and the Palestinian News & Info Agency, is the
news agency
A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and All-news radio, radio and News broadcasting, television Broadcasting, broadcasters. A news agency may ...
of the
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine, (PNA), and was "the
P.L.O.'s news agency" in the years before the formation of the PA.
''Wafa'' provides daily news from
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The I ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, and is available in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
,
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
,
French and
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
,
making it a major source of information over current events for those regions. Wafa, like PNA's other media outlets, are considered to be aligned with
Fatah
Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...
.
Following a decision at the
Palestinian National Council
The Palestinian National Council (PNC) ( ar, المجلس الوطني الفلسطيني, "'Almajlis Alwataniu Alfilastiniu"') is the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and elects the PLO Executive Committee, which ...
's special session in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
in April 1972, the
announced the establishment of Wafa in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
on June 5, 1972. The same year
Radio Palestine
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
was also founded. While initially Wafa focused on giving official statements, its work gradually expanded to include different types of news.
It began issuing ''felasteen el-thawra'' (meaning "Palestinian revolution"), a weekly magazine headed by Ahmed Abdel-Rahman.
[
During PLO's presence in Lebanon, Wafa was frequently quoted by foreign correspondents and news agencies.] According to Kenneth R. Timmerman
Kenneth R. Timmerman (born November 4, 1953) is a political writer and conservative activist who was the United States House of Representatives elections, 2012, 2012 Republican Party (United States), Republican nominee for United States House of Re ...
, writing for ''Commentary
Commentary or commentaries may refer to:
Publications
* ''Commentary'' (magazine), a U.S. public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and formerly published by the American Jewish Committee
* Caesar's Commentaries (disambiguation), a number of works ...
'', Wafa was instrumental in shaping the Western narrative of the 1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War, dubbed Operation Peace for Galilee ( he, מבצע שלום הגליל, or מבצע של"ג ''Mivtsa Shlom HaGalil'' or ''Mivtsa Sheleg'') by the Israeli government, later known in Israel as the Lebanon War or the First L ...
:
Following PLO's ouster from Lebanon, Wafa resumed activities in Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
and Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
, population_urban =
, population_metro = 2658816
, population_density_km2 =
, timezone1 = CET
, utc_offset1 ...
in November, 1982.
In 1994, PLO's institutions repatriated to the Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The I ...
as a consequence of the Oslo Accords
The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; . Palestine TV, Voice of Palestine
The Voice of Palestine ( ar, صوت فلسطين, Ṣawt Filasṭīn) is a radio station based in Ramallah. It is a subsidiary of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation, under the control of the Palestinian Authority. The station was originally k ...
, the daily ''Al-Hayat al-Jadida
''Al-Hayat al-Jadida'' ( ar, الحياة الجديدة, translation=The New Life) is an official daily newspaper of the Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الف ...
'', and Wafa became the primary media channels for the newly established Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine, . Wafa opened offices in Gaza City
Gaza (;''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1998), , p. 761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory in Palestine, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza...". ar, غَزَّة ', ), also referred to as Gaza City, i ...
and Ramallah
Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...
.
In April 2005, Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Natio ...
transferred PNA's media assets that were under the control of the presidency to the Ministry of Information under Nabil Shaath
Nabil Ali Muhammad (Abu Rashid) Shaath ( ar, نبيل شعث, , also spelled Sha'ath; born August 1938 in Safad) is a senior Palestinians, Palestinian official.
Career In politics
He has held the following titles:
*Palestinian chief negoti ...
. At the same time, he merged the General Information Commission into Wafa. Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian legislative election
Legislative elections were held in the Palestinian territories on 25 January 2006 in order to elect the second Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The result was a victory for Hamas ...
and to preempt Hamas from asserting control of the media assets, Abbas transferred them back to the presidential office.
In October 2005, Wafa re-launched its French service. The French service had previously operated in Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
until 1994.
In September 2006, gunmen stormed Wafa's offices in Khan Younis
Khan Yunis ( ar, خان يونس, also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus; translation: ''Caravansary fJonah'') is a city in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Khan Yunis had a population of 142 ...
and smashed equipment and beat up one reporter.
In 2009, Wafa launched a Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
version of its website; the content of this service would focus on Arab citizens of Israel
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
, many of whom identify as Palestinian. It also started mailing a daily newsletter to Israeli members of the Knesset
Lists of Knesset members cover members of the Knesset of Israel. They are organized by session, by ethnicity and by position.
By session
* List of members of the first Knesset (1949–51)
* List of members of the second Knesset (1951–55)
* Lis ...
and Hebrew media outlets.[
On December 10, 2018, Israeli soldiers raided Wafa's offices in Ramallah and fired tear gas into the building. The Palestinian Journalists' Union, the Palestinian foreign ministry, the ]Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
, and the International Federation of Journalists
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest global union federation of journalists' trade unions in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries.
The IFJ is an associate ...
condemned the Israeli attack.
In 2019, Wafa won the Federation of Arab News Agencies
The Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA), a branch of the Arab League, is a membership organization for Arabic-language, national news agencies, currently of 18 or 19 members
and established in 1975 in Beirut, Lebanon.
Mission
FANA's missi ...
's award for best report.
Public service media
According to an UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
study, the Palestinian publicly-owned media has privileged access to information from the government and sometimes exclusive access to events. This perceived favoring means that private media often has to rely on reporting from Wafa or broadcasts on Palestine TV. The study therefore recommends that the PNA's media assets; Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation
The Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC; ar, هيئة الإذاعة والتلفزيون الفلسطينية, Hayʾat al-ʾIḏāʿa wa-t-Tilifizyūn al-Filasṭīniyya) or Palestine Public Broadcasting Corporation ( ), also known as Pal ...
(Voice of Palestine and Palestine TV), Wafa, and ''Al-Hayat al-Jadida'' should be transformed into independent, public service media.
Affiliations
* Alliance of the Mediterranean News Agencies
* Federation of Arab News Agencies
See also
* Palestinian Information Center
The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) ( ar, المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام) is a Palestinian News website & Network, established first in Arabic language on 1 December 1997, later the English language was launched on 1 January ...
* Ma'an News Agency
Ma'an News Agency (MNA; ar, وكالة معا الإخبارية) is a large wire service created in 2005 in the Palestinian territories. It is part of the Ma'an Network, a non-governmental organization media network created in 2002 in the Palest ...
* Federation of Arab News Agencies
The Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA), a branch of the Arab League, is a membership organization for Arabic-language, national news agencies, currently of 18 or 19 members
and established in 1975 in Beirut, Lebanon.
Mission
FANA's missi ...
(FANA)
References
External links
Wafa website
The occupation soldiers storm the headquarters of Wafa in Ramallah (video)
{{Authority control
1972 establishments in Lebanon
Arabic-language websites
English-language websites
Hebrew-language websites
News agencies based in Palestine
Multilingual websites
Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestinian news websites