Palestinian Wafa news agency relaunches Hebrew service

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa restarted its Hebrew language service Thursday after a six-year break, saying it hoped to influence Israeli public opinion.

"The aim of relaunching the Hebrew coverage is to convey the Palestinian point of view to Israeli society, in an objective manner that sidesteps the military censorship that is imposed on Israeli media," Wafa editor-in-chief Khuloud Assaf told AFP.

Wafa is directly affiliated with the Palestinian Authority and is headquartered in the city of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

It publishes in Arabic, English and French, but had stopped its Hebrew service in 2016.

Most mainstream Israeli media employ Arabic-speaking journalists who specialise in Palestinian affairs.

But Wafa said it hoped its resumed Hebrew service would offer a different perspective.

"Israeli media today is greatly influenced by extremist, right-wing thought, even in its coverage of Palestinian affairs," Assaf said.

Last year Palestinian radio station Jerusalem 24 launched in Ramallah broadcasting in English and Hebrew, and is aimed to offer the viewpoint of Palestinians to Hebrew and English audiences.

It is the only Palestinian radio station broadcasting today in Hebrew.