We Will Change Our World

Wednesday, 11 March 2009 20:25

Written by Eng.Kotsh

Unlike Obama's pie in the sky promises of change, I know that change begins with me! Twenty-Three years ago, I was born in Gaza City; one of hundreds of thousands of babies born under Israel's Military Occupation. Corporate media outlets around our globe are set up to enable political and governmental agendas. When it comes to the American media we easily recognize the silence of their bias in regards to the Middle East, and in particular the 41 years of military occupation of Palestine

Palestinians and Arabs as labeled terrorists and the illegal West Bank settlements are spun as neighborhoods! The lack of coverage in the American media on the War on Gaza did not just illuminate that bias which clearly violates standards, ethics and morals of the Media; it inspired me to do something about it!

The Palestine Telegraph has risen out of the rubble of Gaza!About a year ago, I established www.gazatoday.blogspot.com in order to be an outlet for the unreported stories from the Gaza Strip. Due to the void created by Israel by denying corporate media entry into Gaza, my blog readily achieved a high rank by Google and reached a worldwide audience seeking the true facts on the ground about life under military occupation.

Israel intended to create a media blackout by denying international journalists an entry to Gaza; but the truth cannot be silenced on the World Wide Web.Hungry for truth media outlets- including the controlled ones- contacted me seeking the information Israel hoped to hide on what was happening in the Gaza Strip. CNN, CBC, CBS, Aljazeera, BBC, Democracy Now!, Real News, INN world report, RAI, and other outlets continue to contact me on a daily basis. My reports have been published in well respected newspapers such as Le Monde, Liberation, USA Today and many magazines.

This encouraged me to actualize a dream we share in Gaza: to change our world by telling the truth to the world!The Palestine Telegraph/The PT is the first electronic Newspaper founded and based in the Gaza Strip with an all volunteer staff of supporters. The PT is destined to reverberate around the world for we have moved beyond being besieged and destroyed; we are doing something about it!The PT has a dedicated staff of over 25 international reporters and writers; everyone an unpaid volunteer out to change our world.

Gaza-Palestine and the entire Middle East will remain our top priority in coverage and we are grateful for the growing network of reporters within the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Palestinian refugee camps and abroad committed to being the change we all want to see in our world; a world where every child is born free and has a real childhood.The PT will be a diverse enterprise that will publish world news and opinions, Entertainment, Religion, Special Features and Photo stories. The PT is a portal and a most unique gathering of professional journalists who are committed to the commission of the Fourth Estate; to seek and report the truth as accurately as possible for we all adhere to the highest ethics of journalism, and thus, we will not accept any funding from any government or lobby.Our Motto is "We Will Change Our World" and we will; for we will never surrender or give up. The PT staff is hopeful that we will be an instrument of true change for "HOPE has two children. The first is ANGER at the way things are. The second is COURAGE to DO SOMETHING about it."-St. Augustine.

This first edition of The Palestine Telegraph is the culmination of imagination and spirit of members of the New Fourth Estate: citizen journalists who do not take assignments from editors or paychecks from corporate controlled media.

The PT is dedicated to upholding and expressing the right of freedom of conscience, speech and dissent.The PT encourages controversial creative writing and our policy is to publish diverse opinions and we will allow contradictory views from those of the Editors. All the people of the world are free to contribute to The PT ; publication will be based on professional criteria, not ideological or personal backgrounds. The contributor's article will only be edited for grammar, punctuation and spelling if necessary.Unlike other newspapers, The PT is an independent endeavor that relies on no governmental or organizational support.

The PT is a non-profit project that depends totally on donations from people of good will committed to freedom of speech for all people. Our success will come from the commitment of our volunteer reporters and the interest of people of good will seeking true change in our world; one where all people are respected and indeed have equal human rights. Our determination and united spirits inspire and motivate us to continue to dream and one day, The PT will be printed and licensed in the USA or the U.K. The PT is also more than an online newspaper; we are a conduit that will provide translators and assist with hotel and transportation arrangements for journalists and internationals who desire to visit Gaza. The PT will provide newspapers, websites and organizations with videos, photos, and feature photo-stories. The PT will even coordinate and arrange for corporate media the much needed interviews with officials from all parties. The PT staff welcomes any and all support to actualize our dreams for we understand only in solidarity with people of good will; will we change our world!

My heartfelt gratitude to all who have already contributed and to those who will come as we build the change we want to see and be; a free Gaza Palestine in a secure world for all children.We understand we have taken on what appears to be an impossible mission; but we see challenges that we can overcome in solidarity with people of good will.The open air prison that is Gaza and the military occupation of Palestine will pass when enough good people do something to help us change our world. Welcome to this first edition of the Palestine Telegraph.

Sameh Habeeb: Editor in Chief and PT Director, Gaza Strip, Palestine.