| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | Al-Quds Al-Arabi Publishing LTD[1] |
| Editor | Abd al-Bari Atwan |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Headquarters | London |
| Circulation | 15,000-50,000 (estimated) |
| Official website | alquds.co.uk |
Al-Quds Al-Arabi (Arabic: القدس العربی), (English: "Arab Jerusalem") is an independent pan-Arab daily newspaper published in London since 1989. The paper is owned by Palestinian expatriates, and edited by Abd al-Bari Atwan who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Gaza Strip in 1950.[2] Its motto is (Arabic: يومية سياسية مستقلة "Daily, Political, Independent").[1] Its circulation is estimated to be somewhere between 15,000 and 50,000. The paper has a reputation for being more populist and aggressive in its defense of the Palestinian cause and by extension more confrontational toward Israel, particularly when compared to the other prominent off-shore pan-Arab dailies, like Asharq al-Awsat or Al-Hayat, which are owned by members of the Saudi royal family. As indicated by its motto, the paper stresses this distinction by emphasizing its independent ownership and viewpoint relative to the other prominent pan-Arab dailies.
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Although founded in 1989, Al-Quds Al-Arabi first came to global attention after Abd al-Bari Atwan traveled to Afghanistan in 1996 to interview Osama bin Laden.[2] Like Al-Jazeera, contacts with terrorist groups such as Al-Qa'ida have consistently stirred attention and controversy in the West toward Atwan and the newspaper, particularly in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.[3]
This newspaper was the first, or among the first, to publish a number of communiqués threatening, and taking responsibility for, Islamist and terrorist violence. Those include the fatāwā of Osama bin Laden and several statements from the person or people who sign themselves the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades.[4] On the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Atwan wrote: "The events of 11 September will be remembered as the end of the US empire. This is because all empires collapse when they pursue the arrogance of power." [5] However, it should also be noted that Atwan has explicitly condemned terrorist attacks on innocent Western civilians, as he wrote in one of his two books, The Secret History of al-Qa'ida: "I do not endorse or in any way support al-Qa'ida's agenda" and "I utterly condemn the attacks on innocent citizens in the West".[6]
The paper was founded and is headquartered in London, and is owned and published by Arabic: مؤسسة القدس العربي للنشر والاعلان "The Al-Quds Al-Arabi Foundation for Publishing and Media".[1] The only editor listed on the masthead is editor-in-chief Abd al-Bari Atwan.[1] The newspaper is printed in London, New York, and Frankfurt, and then circulated in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America.[1] In addition to the London headquarters, the paper has offices in Cairo, Rabat, and Amman.[1]
The daily published newspaper is currently 20 pages in length.[1] The first half or so of the paper is devoted to political news from around the world, with a focus on what it terms Arab affairs.[1] The paper also has sections devoted to cultural news and other miscellaneous items, as well as business (2 pages) and sports sections (1 page). The paper devotes three pages to op-ed writing, divided into what it calls Arabic: منبر القدس "The Al-Quds Pulpit" (a forum for reader submission), Arabic: مدارات "Orbits" (or trends), and Arabic: رأي "Opinion."[1] The paper therefore devotes significantly more space to opinion, but less space to business news and to sports, when compared with competitors like Al-Hayat or Asharq Al-Awsat.
Additionally, Editor-in-Chief Abd al-Bari Atwan writes a well-known opinion column, which is featured prominently on the front page.[1]
Circulation data for Arab media is based on estimates, which vary widely for Al-Quds Al-Arabi. Former American diplomat and media scholar William Rugh estimated Al-Quds Al-Arabi's circulation around 15,000 in 2004.[7] More recent estimates cite significantly higher circulation numbers, of around 50,000.[8] By point of comparison, rival London-based Arabic press such as Al-Hayat and Asharq Al-Awsat are generally estimated in the 200,000 to 300,000 range.[7]
Marc Lynch of Foreign Policy called Al-Quds Al-Arabi "the most populist / 'rejection camp' of the major Arab papers."[9] It is often paired with Asharq Al-Awsat to represent the polar extremes in the pan-Arab press.[9]