RABAT, June 23, 2026 (WAFA) – The Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency on Tuesday concluded the high-level panel discussion, held in Rabat under the theme “Jerusalem: A Global Narrative for Peace,” as part of the activities of “Rabat, Capital of Arab Media 2026,” with the issuance of a final statement.
The high-level panel discussion, held on June 22 and 23, 2026, was organized by the Agency in cooperation with the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication – Communication Sector. The event formed part of activities marking Rabat’s designation as the Arab Media Capital for 2026, pursuant to a resolution adopted by the 55th ordinary session of the Council of Arab Information Ministers on November 26, 2025, which included special activities and events dedicated to Jerusalem.
The event highlighted the role played by the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, in promoting dialogue on issues of humanitarian and civilizational significance, foremost among them the question of Jerusalem and Palestine.
The high-level panel discussion was attended by the ministers responsible for information affairs in Morocco and Palestine; assistant secretaries-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States; heads and representatives of the Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA), the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA), the African Press Agency, and the Atlantic Federation of African News Agencies; as well as the journalists’ unions in Morocco and Palestine, and representatives of Arab and Islamic organizations affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States.
In their final statement, the participants commended the initiative of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency in organizing the high-level panel discussion, and praised the Arab system’s appreciation of the role played by King Mohammed VI, in his capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, in defending the Holy City, protecting its Arab and Islamic holy sites, and supporting the steadfastness of its residents.
They also noted that this appreciation extends to the role played by King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, custodian of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites, as well as to the sacrifices of the Palestinian people and their legitimate leadership headed by President Mahmoud Abbas.
The final statement affirmed that Arab media’s defense of the Palestinians’ right to establish their state on the June 4, 1967 borders, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, should be based on a discourse that is understood by Western audiences and their institutions, and should move from a position of reaction and mere defense to a stage of initiative based on a clear Arab narrative founded on the values of unity, freedom, justice, and peace.
It called for investing in the spiritual and civilizational dimension of Jerusalem as a central subject for media advocacy directed at the international public in all its intellectual, cultural, and humanitarian components, based on the values of coexistence, and for working to unify Arab media discourse around a knowledge-based reference rooted in Jerusalem’s historical, religious, and civilizational centrality.
The statement stressed the need to work toward providing the financial and logistical resources necessary to produce media stories and creative content (written, visual, and audio), directed at adults, as well as children and adolescents, through all available digital formats and platforms, conveying Palestinians’ embrace of life and their determination to build and remain steadfast despite all challenges.
It called for active intervention by media bodies in the Arab world to improve and review media content directed abroad on priority Arab issues, foremost among them the Palestinian cause and the question of Jerusalem, and to ensure its compatibility with the technical and technological standards that facilitate its promotion and dissemination across international digital media platforms, including Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix, to counter prevailing opposing narratives on those platforms.
The final statement also called for the formulation of a unified Arab reference document to regulate Arab messages and terminology related to the Palestinian cause and the question of Jerusalem, to be adopted by the relevant Arab bodies and subsequently promoted for adoption by international institutions.
It affirmed support for the initiative to establish a unified Arab media platform that would serve as a source of proposals and a reliable reference for indicators, statistics, and studies related to the presence of Arab media, its reach, and its impact on Western audiences, particularly in media coverage related to the Palestinian cause and the question of Jerusalem.
The statement called for encouraging the organization of joint training programs, courses, and workshops between Arab and Palestinian media institutions for the benefit of journalists and content creators, in a manner that enhances their ability to produce professional multilingual content on the Palestinian cause and the question of Jerusalem, while taking into account the requirements of addressing international public opinion.
The participants in the panel discussion expressed their sincere thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom of Morocco, its King, government, and people, as well as to the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication – Communication Sector, and the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency, for their generous hospitality, excellent organization, and for providing all the means and conditions that contributed to the success of this high-level media forum. They unanimously agreed to continue coordination and joint action to translate the recommendations of this statement into practical programmes and initiatives serving the Palestinian cause and the question of Jerusalem.
The General Supervisor of Official Palestinian Media, Minister Ahmad Assaf, praised the qualitative initiative led by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency and the Kingdom of Morocco to establish a “Charter on the Media Status and the Narrative on Jerusalem and Palestine,” announcing the development of the idea to take an official institutional form by proposing its adoption at the upcoming Council of Arab Information Ministers in Libya, in preparation for its adoption at the upcoming Arab Summit as a unified historical document.
Minister Assaf, in his speech, extended thanks and appreciation to the brothers in the Kingdom of Morocco, leadership, government, and people, as well as to the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency, and all partners from the Moroccan Ministry of Communication, the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the participating experts.
He affirmed that this initiative comes at difficult times in which the region is witnessing wars that Israel has exploited to act unilaterally in Jerusalem, and to attempt to liquidate the Palestinian Arab Islamic and Christian presence and Judaize the city.
Minister Assaf explained that narrative battles have today become among the most important and most consequential global conflicts, more so than military wars, as they serve as a tool that shapes and influences public opinion.
He recalled how the Israeli occupation government succeeded in imposing its narrative globally during the first weeks following 7 October 2023, before official and private Palestinian media, supported by sister Arab media platforms, partners, and conscientious voices in foreign media, managed to regain the initiative and convey the truth of war crimes to the world, which led to a major shift reflected in mass demonstrations that filled the streets of Moroccan cities, Europe, and America, with support rates exceeding 95% in favor of the Palestinian cause, and contributed to the issuance of dozens of decisions from international bodies such as the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and the United Nations.
The minister highlighted the high price paid by the journalistic community in conveying this narrative and countering the Israeli narrative, noting that Israel targeted journalists through direct killing, resulting in the killing of more than 260 Palestinian journalists, in addition to wounding and detaining hundreds and thousands in Gaza and the West Bank.
He affirmed that the number of journalists killed in this aggression exceeded the total number killed in global and regional wars over the past 100 years.
He also pointed to the destruction and shelling of the Palestine TV headquarters in Gaza and Ramallah, and the closure of its offices in Jerusalem for seven years, as well as the killing of more than 25 staff members of the official media alone.
He stressed that the media battle has not ended with the official cessation of the war, given the continued aggression, occupation, and blockade over more than 60% of the Gaza Strip, the escalation of colonists’ terror and the occupation army, and the exchange of roles between them in the West Bank.
He affirmed that Israeli attempts to intimidate journalists, which were previously reflected in the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, were met with Palestinian defiance and determination, which in turn reinforced the resolve to convey the true picture on the ground.
In his concluding remarks, the minister commended the strong partnerships with the Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA), led by Ambassador Muhammad bin Abd Rabbo Al-Yami, and the Arab States Broadcasting Union, stressing the importance of direct coordination with the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, former Minister of Media, to benefit from her expertise and from Jordan’s authentic role in the custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, in order to formulate and adopt this charter, expressing hope that the people of Jerusalem and Palestine will feel this embrace and solidarity, as they have always been accustomed to from the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency.
T.R.
