"Voice of Palestine"... 3 Decades of Building Awareness and Reinforcing the National Narrative

Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad: The founding team had to invent a journalistic language suitable for the people and the stage, but feelings of pride and belonging overcame all the difficulties of establishment.

Khaled Masmar: The radio's experience abroad and at home faced continuous targeting from the occupation, reflecting an understanding of the importance of Palestinian media in exposing its crimes.

Aayed Owaimer: The radio's media discourse is based on the rights of the Palestinian people and defending their national narrative, as well as exposing the occupation's crimes and policies.

Khaled Siam: The spirit of belonging was the driving force behind the radio's experience, and workers did not look at financial returns but at the importance of building the first radio institution on Palestinian land.

Mohammed Al-Baz: "Voice of Palestine" remained a unifying radio that did not express a specific faction but rather the various components of the Palestinian people, as an extension of the revolution radio's approach.

Wisal Abu Alia: The value of national media is not measured by technical development alone, but by its ability to protect the Palestinian narrative, defend the truth, and preserve memory.

Ramallah - Exclusive to "Al-Quds"-

The thirty-second anniversary of the launch of the official "Voice of Palestine" radio carries the testimonies of its founders and media professionals, who recall the journey of the birth of the first Palestinian national radio from the homeland, amidst difficult circumstances and limited resources, but with a great will that made it a platform for the Palestinian narrative and a guardian of national identity, and it continues its work defying all circumstances.

Founders and broadcasters, in separate interviews with "Al-Quds", agree that the radio was an extension of the "Voice of the Storm" experience, the voice of the Palestinian revolution, before it launched from Jericho on July 2, 1994, to accompany the building of the National Authority's institutions, and developed a media discourse that preserved national constants, despite political and technological transformations and the occupation's repeated targeting of its headquarters and staff.

They emphasize that the strength of "Voice of Palestine" was not in its material capabilities, but in the spirit of belonging that led its workers, and the continuation of its mission to defend the Palestinian narrative, keep pace with citizens' concerns, and develop its media tools, ensuring that the national word remains present in the face of attempts at falsification and silencing.

A mix of pride and belonging to the national project

Writer and political analyst, and one of the founding broadcasters, and the first to inaugurate the official "Voice of Palestine" radio with his voice, Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad, recounts the details of the early days of the launch of the official "Voice of Palestine" radio, recalling a stage he describes as a mix of pride and faith in the national project and voluntary work, where the founding team felt that they were participating in making a new history for Palestinian media, and laying the first brick for an institution that would later become one of the most prominent national voices, stressing that the founding team had to invent a journalistic language suitable for the people and the stage, but feelings of pride and belonging overcame all the difficulties of establishment.

Exceptional circumstances in the beginning

Awad confirms that the launch of the radio on July 2, 1994, in Jericho and what followed in the early days was characterized by exceptional circumstances, as the team worked long hours throughout the day, without salaries or incentives, or ready editorial policies or reference frameworks regulating the work.

Awad stresses that everything achieved at that time was the result of personal initiatives and a high sense of responsibility and belonging, so much so that the workers slept in the same cramped room where they edited the news, while they themselves participated in carrying and installing equipment, and preparing and isolating the studio, at a time when food reached them from the national security forces due to limited resources.

Presence in memory

Awad recalls the names of a number of founders who participated in that experience, including: Ibrahim Melhem, Asef Hamidi, Ahmed Zaki, Youssef Mahmoud, Naseer Faleh, and Jamal Ma'ari, explaining that the team was local at its beginning before the arrival of cadres who returned from exile, and that everyone shared the hardship of work and their feeling that they were establishing a new national stage that deserved sacrifice.

Awad points out that one of the biggest challenges in the early days was not only technical, but also in inventing a new journalistic language that suited the nature of the political stage, existing agreements, and the aspirations of the Palestinian people, in the absence of any ready instructions or editorial policies.

Awad confirms that discussions and differences within the team ultimately led to the formulation of a media discourse that gained popular and political acceptance.

Part of the political system and societal mind

Awad believes that "Voice of Palestine" was not just a media outlet, but became part of the Palestinian political system and societal mind, and therefore, like other Palestinian institutions, it was subjected to direct pressure and targeting, recalling the bombing of the radio's headquarters in Ramallah and Gaza, and the resulting costs borne by the institution and its workers.

An Arab media school

Despite the ongoing debate about the radio's performance after it became an official institution, especially in light of the Palestinian division, Awad confirms that the experience, after more than three decades, has turned into an Arab media school that has graduated generations of media professionals and established methods of editing and presentation, and has maintained its presence in an environment full of conflicts and challenges.

Awad stresses that the anniversary of the founding of Voice of Palestine will remain for him a moment of hope-making, and a memory that cannot be absent from the conscience of everyone who participated in the birth of this voice.

Establishing the radio is a national necessity

Broadcaster Khaled Masmar, one of the founders of the Revolution Radio "Voice of the Storm", recalls the early beginnings of Palestinian radio media, stressing that the idea of establishing a Palestinian radio was not just a media project, but a national necessity imposed by the conditions of the diaspora and the need for a platform to address Palestinians and the world, and to convey the voice of the Palestinian revolution at a pivotal stage in the history of the cause.

Masmar recounts that the launch of the radio came from abroad, at a time when Palestinians were scattered in exile, and fedayeen action needed a media arm to keep pace with its political and military presence.

An important turning point in the history of establishment

Masmar points out that the turning point came after the Battle of Karameh in 1968, when the relationship between the Fatah leadership and the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser was strengthened, who, after meetings with the movement's leadership, agreed to allocate a frequency from Cairo's Middle East Radio to launch "Voice of the Storm" radio, the voice of the Palestinian revolution.

Masmar emphasizes that the project was not limited to providing a radio frequency, but required building a new media experience different from the prevailing radio discourse at the time, especially after the June 1967 defeat and its psychological and political effects on Palestinians and Arabs.

This is how it began

According to Masmar, the late media professional Fouad Yassin was therefore assigned to form a new team of Palestinian students studying in Cairo, and to choose voices capable of addressing the public in a different language.

Khaled Masmar was one of four broadcasters who formed the core, along with Abdul Shakour Al-Tawtangi, Al-Tayeb Abdul Rahim, and Yahya Al-Omari, while the team received intensive training in presentation, writing, and formulating the media message.

Masmar explains that the work was not limited to news bulletins, but also included the production of short national anthems prepared by Palestinian and Egyptian poets and composers, which contributed to raising morale, becoming part of the national memory, while the media discourse was based on what Fouad Yassin described as "the honest word expressing the brave bullet" fired by the Palestinian fedayeen.

Radio in the homeland

Regarding the radio's transfer to the homeland after the Oslo Accords, and the establishment of Voice of Palestine as a continuation of "Voice of the Storm" radio, Masmar explains that he did not participate in the establishment of "Voice of Palestine" radio, as he had moved to work in national and political guidance, but he contributed through a radio program dedicated to the national security forces and security agencies, while the task of establishment was undertaken by a number of internal cadres alongside media professionals who came from abroad.

Targeting the radio

Masmar points out that the radio's experience, both abroad and at home, faced continuous targeting from the Israeli occupation, from pursuing broadcasting sites in Lebanon to destroying radio headquarters and transmitters in Ramallah and Gaza, considering that this reflects the occupation's awareness of the importance of Palestinian media in exposing its crimes.

Masmar extends greetings to the workers of "Voice of Palestine" throughout its various stages, calling for the continuation of the national mission while taking into account the specificity of working within the institutions of the Palestinian Authority, and expressing his hope that this voice will continue to develop until the dream that the late President Yasser Arafat used to repeat is realized, that broadcasting will one day originate from Jerusalem.

Retaining symbolic status in consciousness and conscience

Head of the official "Voice of Palestine" radio sector, Aayed Owaimer, believes that the radio, 32 years after its launch in the homeland, still retains its symbolic status in Palestinian consciousness and conscience, as a media institution that has been linked to the journey of the Palestinian cause since the years of the revolution when it launched under the name "Voice of the Storm", and continued to play its national role after its launch in the homeland, despite the political and technological transformations witnessed by the world.

Its journey with the revolution

Owaimer reviews the radio's journey, explaining that it accompanied the leadership of the Palestinian revolution in the capitals it moved between, and since its establishment carried the message of defending Palestine, land, people, and cause, based on Palestinian national rights, foremost among them the right of the Palestinian people to exist and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, and to end the Israeli occupation.

Owaimer points out that this message was transferred to the homeland with the entry of the Palestinian National Authority, and the radio launched again from the homeland on July 2, 1994, considering that moment an embodiment of Palestinian political entity after long years of sacrifices.

Keeping pace with the times

Owaimer confirms that the radio, despite the great competition imposed by the digital revolution and the multiplicity of media outlets, still enjoys public trust, and has maintained its approach and national message alongside the components of official media, while developing its media tools to keep pace with the times.

Owaimer says: "The radio has harnessed technology and social media platforms, under the directives of the General Supervisor of Official Media, Minister Ahmed Assaf, to expand its presence across platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and X, ensuring the continued delivery of the Palestinian voice to various parts of the world."

Continuing to convey suffering

Owaimer points out that the radio's message is not limited to conveying news, but extends to conveying the suffering of Palestinians, and attracting international public opinion to support the Palestinian cause, especially in light of the genocide war to which the Palestinian people are exposed.

Owaimer explains that the radio did not overlook internal issues, as it worked through specialized programs to play the role of mediator between citizens and officials, and contributed to addressing many daily issues, based on its belief that strengthening the steadfastness of citizens is a shared national responsibility.

Owaimer stresses that the media discourse of the radio and official media remained constant, based on Palestinian national rights, expressing the aspirations of Palestinians for freedom and independence, and exposing the crimes of the occupation and defending the Palestinian narrative in various forums.

Harnessing capabilities to convey occupation crimes

In his discussion of the coverage of the Israeli aggression and genocide war, Owaimer explains that the official Palestinian media, including the radio, harnessed its capabilities to convey the crimes of the occupation with sound and image, benefiting from digital platforms and in multiple languages, stressing that this presence, along with the efforts of other national media outlets, contributed to strengthening international popular solidarity with Palestinians, which was embodied in demonstrations witnessed in many capitals around the world.

Utilizing technology to serve its media mission

Regarding the main challenges, Owaimer considers that the decline witnessed by traditional media in the face of digital platforms represents the biggest challenge, but he confirms that "Voice of Palestine" has made significant progress in utilizing technology to serve its media mission. Owaimer stresses that the radio will remain faithful to its national mission, and to the martyrs of the Palestinian people and prisoners, and to the pioneers who founded Palestinian media, affirming its continuation as an important tool in defending Palestinian national rights, no matter the challenges.

The story of the first establishment

Broadcaster Khaled Siam, one of the founders of "Voice of Palestine" radio and its former Director-General, recalls the details of the early days of the radio's launch on July 2, 1994, describing the experience as the birth of a national institution preceded by long years of Palestinians waiting for a voice emanating from their land, after decades during which they followed "Voice of the Storm" radio, the voice of the Palestinian revolution, from abroad, sometimes secretly, at a time when listening to it could expose its owner to persecution and imprisonment.

Siam says: "The establishment of the radio came with the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority and the beginning of redeployment in Jericho after the Oslo Accords, to form an extension of the Palestinian media experience abroad, and of the historical 'Here Jerusalem' radio."

Siam confirms that the beginnings were not easy, as the radio launched from Jericho with very modest technical capabilities, but it relied on the interaction of journalists and media professionals at home, along with cadres who returned from abroad carrying radio experience accumulated during years of work in exile.

The spirit of belonging is the true driving force behind the radio's experience

Siam points out that the spirit of belonging was the true driving force behind the radio's experience, as workers did not look at working hours or financial returns, but at the importance of building the first national radio institution on Palestinian land.

He recalls that salaries were delayed for months, and what the workers received were merely limited financial advances insufficient for life's necessities, but this did not affect their drive to make the project a success, because the public was eager to hear a voice coming from the homeland and expressing its issues.

Siam recalls his personal experience, explaining that he returned to Palestine in mid-1994, and was among the founders who worked day and night to launch the radio, benefiting from their previous experiences.

The duo Ibrahim Melhem and Daniela Khalaf

Siam confirms that success was achieved thanks to teamwork, citing the program "Palestine Good Morning" presented by the duo: Ibrahim Melhem and Daniela Karim Khalaf, which achieved a wide presence in the Palestinian street, along with programs that contributed to solidifying the radio's position.

Ahmed Rafiq Awad, the first voice on air

Siam notes that the first voice to be broadcast on the radio's experimental airwaves on the night of June 30, 1994, was the voice of Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad.

Siam confirms that his media work and experience abroad later extended to the establishment of "Voice of Palestine – Program Two" radio in the Gaza Strip in 2000.

Systematic targeting

Siam dwells at length on the Israeli attacks on the radio, pointing to the destruction of the exchange center and transmitter station in Ramallah, and the bombing of the Program Two building in Gaza, which resumed broadcasting only 45 minutes after being under the rubble, then the bulldozing of the historical transmission station that broadcast via medium wave, leading to the destruction of the Broadcasting and Television Authority building and the transmission tower in Ramallah.

He confirms that these attacks not only targeted buildings, but also the radio's historical archive in an attempt to silence the Palestinian narrative.

Siam believes that the strength of "Voice of Palestine" in its early days lay in focusing on the quality of language and content and the boldness in addressing people's issues, rather than relying on material capabilities.

Siam points out that the development of technology at present has provided better tools, and contributed to a wider spread of the radio.

Presence in absence

Siam recalls those who passed away from the radio's staff, foremost among them: the head of the General Authority for Radio and Television, Radwan Abu Ayash, and radio staff: Youssef Al-Qazzaz, Aref Salim, Ibrahim Al-Desouki, Khaled Al-Dabbas, Ahmed Ariqat, Engineer Samir Al-Sharif, Salim Abu Amro, Kamal Al-Alawneh, and Saeed Ayad, in addition to the radio's martyrs, including: Engineer Jamil Nawarah, Issam Al-Talawi, Issam Al-Lulu, Tamim Ma'mar, and Ismail Al-Mabhouh, also recalling that the martyr Shireen Abu Akleh was one of the first radio staff, before joining Al Jazeera channel.

Extension of the "Voice of the Storm" experience

Broadcaster Mohammed Al-Baz, one of the founders of "Voice of Palestine" radio in the Gaza Strip, recalls the radio's journey as an extension of the "Voice of the Storm" experience, the voice of the Palestinian revolution that launched from exile, stressing that the birth of "Voice of Palestine" on July 2, 1994, in the homeland was not a new beginning as much as it was a culmination of a media journey that spanned decades, during which Palestinian radio carried the national narrative from one capital to another until it returned to the homeland.

Al-Baz points out that the first building blocks of this experience were laid by the late media professional Fouad Yassin, who formed the founding cell of "Voice of the Storm" radio, which included: Al-Tayeb Abdul Rahim, Yahya Al-Omari, Abdul Shakour Al-Tawtangi, and Khaled Masmar, before Yahya Rabah, Nabil Amro, Ahmed Abdul Rahman, Ziad Abdul Fattah, Barakat Zalloum, and Abdul Majeed Faraoun later joined, while he personally belongs to the second generation, after taking responsibility for "Voice of the Revolution" radio in Aden since 1978, before later holding positions as Director-General of Programs and Director-General of Training and Development in the Palestinian Broadcasting and Television Authority, and participating in the establishment of the Authority and "Voice of Palestine" in the Gaza Strip in 1994.

Al-Baz confirms that the launch of the radio from Jericho would not have been possible without the contribution of the German "Friedrich" institution, and the German expert who succeeded in transferring broadcasting equipment and the studio to Jericho across Israeli checkpoints, coinciding with the arrival of the late President Yasser Arafat to the homeland.

A deeply symbolic transformation

Al-Baz describes the moment when Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad's voice resonated saying: "Here is the Voice of Palestine," as a deeply symbolic transformation, explaining that the difference between the phrase "This is the Voice of Palestine," which was used by the revolution radios abroad, and "Here is the Voice of Palestine," reflects the transfer of the voice from exile to the homeland.

Al-Baz goes back to the early beginnings in Cairo in 1968, when "Voice of the Storm" radio launched from Sharifain Street through Middle East Radio, benefiting from the transfer of "Voice of the Arabs" to the Maspero building.

Al-Baz recalls the first programs, such as: "News and Commentary," "Words to Palestine... Homeland and People," "Our Land Palestine... The Oldest Land on Which Human History Shone," and "Talk of the Occupied Land," in addition to the revolutionary anthems written by Abu Al-Sadiq Al-Husseini and Saeed Al-Muzayen, and composed by the Egyptian musician Abdul Azim Mohammed, which he believes contributed to raising the morale of Palestinians and consolidating national identity.

Expanding content

Al-Baz says: "The radio's return to the homeland opened the way for expanding content, as 'Voice of Palestine' succeeded in just one and a half years in producing about 62 political, cultural, religious, sports, educational, health, and agricultural programs, in addition to programs dedicated to prisoners and martyrs, and also witnessed the launch of 'Voice of Palestine – Program Two' in Gaza on Land Day in 2000, which was inaugurated by the late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Arab and Palestinian figures."

Al-Baz stresses that "Voice of Palestine" remained a unifying national radio that did not express a specific faction, but rather the various components of the Palestinian people, which he considered an extension of the approach of the Palestinian revolution radio.

Al-Baz points out that the challenges did not stop, whether in the early days of establishment with limited cadres and resources, or during the current war that ended the existence of Gaza radio, and led to the martyrdom of a number of workers in the Broadcasting and Television Authority, among hundreds of Palestinian journalists who lost their lives.

Al-Baz confirms that Palestinian media, with all its components of television, radio, and written press, will remain part of the national liberation project, extending greetings to the martyrs of media and prisoners, and stressing that the word will continue to be written in blood for Palestine until the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

An important national memory

Broadcaster at "Voice of Palestine" radio, Wisal Abu Alia, does not view the radio as a traditional media institution, but rather as a national memory that accompanied Palestinians in their most complex stations, and carried, through its airwaves, the Palestinian narrative from exile to the homeland, and from pain to hope, preserving national identity in the face of attempts at obliteration and distortion.

Abu Alia recalls the radio's journey as a voice linked to the conscience of Palestinians, stressing that it did not only play the role of news conveyor, but carried the story of an entire people, with all the pain of the Nakba, the bitterness of refuge and displacement, and the insistence of refugees on adhering to the right of return, in addition to conveying the image of the Palestinian striving for freedom and building the future.

The witnessing radio

Abu Alia explains that this role made the radio a witness to various national stages, accompanying Palestinians in moments of pain as well as in moments of achievement, and becoming part of their collective memory.

Abu Alia points out that the return of the Palestinian leadership to the homeland opened a new stage for the radio, in which it transcended its news role to become a partner in building national institutions and promoting public awareness, based on the conviction that building a state begins with building people, and that national media is responsible for consolidating the values of belonging and citizenship and preserving Palestinian identity.

The constant message

Despite 32 years since the radio's launch in the homeland, Abu Alia confirms that its message has remained constant, even if media tools and means have changed.

Abu Alia believes that the value of national media is not measured by technical development alone, but by its ability to protect the Palestinian narrative, defend the truth, and preserve national memory, ensuring that Palestine is conveyed to future generations as its people lived it, not as the occupation tries to portray it.

Challenge of preserving the message

In her discussion of challenges, Abu Alia considers that the most serious challenge facing the radio today is preserving its message amidst a fast-paced media world saturated with platforms and information, and in the face of attempts to falsify consciousness and distort the Palestinian narrative.

Abu Alia stresses the need to combine speed and credibility, professionalism and national commitment, in addition to developing media content, investing in young competencies, and benefiting from modern technologies without compromising the constants on which the radio was founded.

The deepest challenge: the occupation

Abu Alia confirms that the Israeli occupation remains the deepest challenge, after it targeted the word as it targeted people, pointing to the bombing of the radio building, and the martyrdom of a number of its media professionals in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank while carrying out their mission, as well as the persecution of correspondents and the closure of the radio office in occupied Jerusalem, in an attempt to silence the Palestinian narrative.

Abu Alia points out that "Voice of Palestine" has proven, over more than three decades, that the national message does not stop with bombing or targeting, and that the free word is capable of surviving as long as there are media professionals who believe that defending the truth is defending the homeland, and that the radio will remain a carrier of the Palestinian people's memory, and a defender of their right to freedom and independence.