The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) concluded Today (Thursday 4/10/2018) a training course about “countering hate speech in Palestine" for the Palestinian journalists in Gaza. The training targeted various media organizations operating in the Strip, as part of the International Program for the Development of Communication funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO.

The training course aims to combat hate speech in Palestine and to promote sensitive journalism that promotes dialogue between different cultures and affiliations. It also aims to raise the awareness of Palestinian journalists and media and to build their capacity to confront and reduce hate speech.

The training course which lasted for three days (20 training hours) was attended by 15 journalists from various media organizations operating in the Gaza Strip.

Dr. Ahmed Hammad, Coordinator of the MADA Center in the Gaza Strip asserted on the need to combat hate speech in the Palestinian media and expressed the hope that the training course will achieve its goal in improving the Palestinian media, and developing the media discourse regarding the rejection of hate speech and the dissemination of a culture of tolerance.

The trainer Dr. Zuhair Abed referred to hate speech in the Palestinian media in particular and the rejection of hatred in the society as a whole in terms of its concept, causes, terminology and problems, indicating the role of international and local law and international organizations such as UNESCO to reject and criminalize hate speech and focus on spreading a culture of tolerance and pluralism and respect for differences of opinion in Palestinian and global society.

The journalists presented a series of recommendations to combat hate speech in Palestine. The most important of these was the promotion of a culture of dialogue in the Palestinian society, in addition to promoting tolerance, equality and freedom of expression and its role in deepening the culture of pluralism and rejection of hatred in the society.

The participants also agreed that the Palestinian media should abide by professional standards and not to confuse between opinion and news, as well as to incriminate hate speech in the Palestinian society through the rule of law and applying it to everyone in a fair manner.

At the end of the course, certificates were distributed to all trainees.