Palestine is published with the hope that the entire Moroccan people will consider it and conceive of it as the straightforward expression of their determination to support the struggle of the fraternal Palestinian people and their desire to place the liberation of Palestine above all other partisan, sectarian or other considerations. We also hope that all Moroccans and their Palestinian brothers will see in the newspaper Palestine the instrument of a Moroccan contribution to one of the fronts of the Palestinian and Arab nations’ struggle against the Zionist occupation, which does not only rely on power, but also on a weapon that proved its efficiency for the last 20 years; that is the weapon of systematic and intensified propaganda both scientifically and globally.
The publication of Palestine comes as a response to the pressing need to fight against Zionist propaganda that dominates most of the Western mass media, enabling Zionists to mislead public opinion while simultaneously confirming a sense of “factualism” based on the misrepresentation of reality.
The intensity of emotions and the sense of humiliation felt since the defeat of June 1967 have often transformed into despair and skepticism about our ability, as Arabs, to confront the Zionist fanatics who continue their aggressions to make themselves appear as they were triumphant and the ones who always monopolize the initiative to attack. In fact, these attacks on Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon are nothing but reactions that become more intense and more foolish with the increase and the multiplication of the power and efficiently of the Palestinian resistance, since the fedayeen’s operations at the heart of Tel Aviv are drawing the attention of the global public opinion more and more.
Resistance operations lay bare the problem, as it truly is, before public opinion. The problem is one of a people that fight to liberate their country from foreigner colonizers, because they exposed their Nazi-Fascist tactics, which are an integral part of any foreign occupation.
After having exhausted the old narrative that relies on the depictions of the atrocities the Nazis committed against Jews in Europe, the daily aim of Zionist propaganda nowadays is to divert attention from the real problem in a manner that is adequate to the new circumstances and to the development of international public opinion. By dominating western mass media, it succeeded in creating ambiguity between what is called “the Middle East crisis,” which is debated as an issue of borders with diplomatic aspects, most notably the debate on recognition or non-recognition of the Israeli State by Arab, and the Palestinian cause, which is seen as an aspect of “Middle East crisis” that will come to an end when the crisis resulting from the events of June 1967 ends. Eventually, [it will] become a debate on the “refugees.” These events helped Israeli propaganda entrench this view in people’s minds, hoping to poison Arab minds themselves.
Thus, the message of Palestine focuses primarily on the clarification of the Palestinian issue as it truly is, as well as “fighting” against any action that may fan the flames of confusion, perplexity and despair in the minds of the Moroccan and Arab masses by:
§ Publishing historical and economic research that explains the motives, circumstances and tactics of the Zionist occupation as well as the colonial ambitions and interests that explain the positions and maneuvers of imperialism as well as its unconditional solidarity with Zionism.
§ Publicizing Palestinian organizations’ programs and positions as well as the evolution of the armed Palestinian resistance.
§ Keeping track of events related directly to Palestine and which have an impact on the future of the Palestinian people.
The overall message of Palestine consists in supporting the Palestinian people’s struggle on a decisive front, which consists in fighting against Zionist propaganda and its impact on the Arabs. We rely on Moroccan people’s trust and particularly on their support with all the necessary material means so that Palestine achieves its ultimate objective, which is to be a Moroccan tool for the fight against Zionist propaganda, not only among Moroccans and Arabs, but also among foreigners and in foreign languages. We will endeavor diligently to embody this wish in the upcoming issues by publishing a supplement in French despite the paucity of our means.
All the believers in the Palestinian people’s cause are invited to consider this first issue as a call for contributions to Palestine as a Moroccan outlet and a genuine expression of our people’s aspiration to support our Palestinian brothers’ struggle. It is a tool and a humble contribution that can transform into an efficient device if it receives the requisite assistance from all those who put the interests of the Palestinian people above all other considerations (whatever their significance and their nature).
The editorial team, number 1, volume 1/ October 11, 1968
Translated from Arabic by El Habib Louai