Jerusalem’s Sole Arabic Newspaper Silenced Due to Employee Protest

Al-Quds, the oldest Palestinian daily newspaper, was not distributed on July 23 – the first time in its history that it missed a day – as employees walked out in protest. Staffers reportedly have not been paid since April, with the paper plagued by a lack of funds. According to its Facebook page, there are currently 120 employees distributed across eight departments. Al-Quds has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the Palestinian Territories, with daily distribution exceeding 80,000. It is also the only Arabic-language daily based in Jerusalem. It was founded in 1951 by the Mahmoud Abu-Zalaf and is currently edited by his son, Walid. Originally called “Al-Jihad,” the name was changed in 1967 to “Al-Quds,” meaning Jerusalem.