Skip to main content

PA kids magazine calls northern Israeli city of Safed “occupied”

Headline: “I read, I think, I learn
The flying carpet”
“The occupied city of Safed
A mountain city located in the east of the Galilee mountains, outstanding in the quality of its climate. It is surrounded by olive trees, and grape vineyards. Also, there are natural forests of oak trees in the mountains and areas surrounding it, and particularly the Jarmak (i.e., Mount Meron) and Sa'sa' forests. Throughout its history, Safed has been a prosperous city and an important administrative center in northern Palestine, and in addition, it is the birthplace of the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.”

Zayzafuna is a PLO magazine for children partially funded by the PA. The magazine, which includes material written by both the magazine’s staff and child readers, represents the values of the educators and serves as a window into the minds of the Palestinian children submitting material to the magazine. Zayzafuna's website states that the magazine's advisory board is comprised of PA officials and educators, including Jihad Zakarneh, PA Deputy Minister of Education, and Abd Al-Hakim Abu Jamous, Head of the Media Department at the PA Ministry of Education. In May 2011, the Deputy Chairman of the Zayzafuna organization Abd Al-Karim Ziyada explained on PA TV that the PA gives "a monthly payment of 10,000 shekels ($2,700) to cover the magazine's [costs]." [Official PA TV, May 9 and 13, 2011]

RelatedView all ❯