RAMALLAH, January 8, 2014 (WAFA) – The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) opened Wednesday in Ramallah the 17th meeting of the Higher Committee for Coordination among the Arab Satellite Channels.

This is the first time Palestine hosts an ASBU meeting, which came at the invitation of the Ministry of Information and the Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBC).

However, not all invited Arab members were able to attend the meeting, which will continue through Sunday, because Israel, which controls the borders, refused to issue them entry visa.

Head of the PBC, Riyad al-Hassan, expressed regret in his opening remarks over the absence of some media members who were not allowed in by the Israeli authorities.

“This is a tax that we pay at different levels as long as the occupation is sitting on our land, stifling us and disrupting our life,” he said.

Hassan told the participants that they will see during their visit what the occupation does to daily life and the impact of settlements on the geography of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which also threaten the future of the Palestinian state.

Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah told the conference that his government will do all it can to facilitate the opening of Arab media offices in Palestine.

He said he looks forward to more cooperation between the Palestinian and Arab media to benefit from their experience and to keep the issue of Palestine alive in the Arab media.

M.N./M.S.