Ambassador Ahmed Rashid Khattabi, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Media and Communication Sector at the League of Arab States, stressed that the Council of Arab Information Ministers has decided to establish an observatory and a unified platform to monitor news related to safeguarding common Arab interests. This initiative particularly focuses on supporting the Palestinian cause, defending the national rights of the Palestinian people, and countering smear campaigns.
Ambassador Khattabi made these remarks during his participation in the symposium "Gaza in the Media: Between Deceipt and Bias" as part of the activities of the third edition of the Saudi Media Forum, launched today in Riyadh and organised by the Radio and Television Corporation.
He highlighted that the observatory and unified platform, established following the decision of the Council of Information Ministers in June during the 53rd session in Rabat, operate within the framework of the plan for Arab media action abroad. One of the key tasks is to continue monitoring news related to the protection of Palestinian media content.
Ambassador Khattabi highlighted that the League of Arab States took proactive steps in countering the Israeli narrative. This included organising a symposium titled "The Arab Media Confronting the False Israeli Narrative about the Aggression against the Gaza Strip" in collaboration with the Arab Media Forum. This initiative aimed to address the widespread dissemination of unreliable information during crises and wars through social media platforms and artificial intelligence applications.
Khattabi explained that the unfolding events, marked by extensive destruction and a rising death toll, particularly affecting journalists and media figures, exposed the inconsistencies in the Israeli narrative. This has led to a notable shift in Western public opinion, diminishing sympathy for the Israeli perspective and increasing awareness of the historical injustices endured by the Palestinian people over seven decades.
He emphasised the League's commitment to coordinating member states' positions on this crucial matter at the media level, a central aspect of joint Arab action. This involves continuous monitoring and implementation of the Arab media strategy and media action plan.
Furthermore, Khattabi underscored that the unified strategy with international media companies in the digital domain prioritises safeguarding Palestinian content from disinformation campaigns. It also addresses the Israeli occupation's practices such as blocking accounts and blogs, violating the digital rights of Palestinians, deploying harmful algorithms, and spreading information aiming to distort the facts and constants of the Palestinian cause.
