The Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre (JMCC) seeks to empower both Palestinians and internationals by disseminating information on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Palestinian politics.

It implements this vision through media activities, including the JMCC.org website, a daily Arabic news translation, regular polls and a peace index, market research, and publications on issues of research interest, public concern and good governance.

The JMCC also sponsors well-attended moderated public debates and workshops on key issues, using these forums as a springboard for defining important ideas and related attitudes before disseminating them to the public by other means.

WHO ARE WE

The JMCC was established in 1988 by a group of Palestinian journalists and researchers seeking to disseminate information on events in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip.

It was the first Palestinian organization to conduct regular opinion polls of Palestinian political attitudes, and these surveys have served as a critical benchmark on the health of the peace process for nearly two decades.

For years, the JMCC produced the only Palestinian weekly in English, the Palestine Report, whose archives are still used by researchers today. Foreign correspondents were aided by the JMCC’s media assistance service, which provided contacts and translation.

Today, the JMCC partners to publish the acclaimed bitterlemons publications, a critical resource for journalists and policymakers the world over. Other publications in Arabic and English seek to address contemporary issues, including monitoring the performance of the Palestinian government.

A non-profit organization, the JMCC was registered on September 5, 1998 as a research centre in accordance with the Palestinian Publications Law of 1995.  It is governed by a board.

WHAT WE DO

The JMCC implements its objectives through the following activities:

Media Unit
The JMCC’s media unit publishes JMCC.org, produces a popular daily press translation to English of the major Arabic newspapers, assists journalists in contacting Palestinian leaders and sources, and distributes an SMS breaking news service.

Workshops
The JMCC sponsors workshops and open public forums on issues of concern. Topics have included government performance, political developments, and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and participants have included those of all political persuasions.

We also arrange events for others on request, contacting invitees, planning and implementing logistics including translation services, and following-up.

Polling Unit
The JMCC carries out regular polls on the peace process, providing an invaluable monitor of Palestinian attitudes. These polls are distributed through the Palestinian Opinion Pulse (POP). The JMCC also conducts polls for academic and market research purposes.

Periodicals
The JMCC is a partner in publishing the bitterlemons publications, which include bitterlemons.org, a weekly Palestinian-Israeli crossfire on topical issues; bitterlemons-international.org, a weekly internet magazine on important regional issues; and bitterlemons-dialogue.org, the occasional publication of correspondence between two key thinkers on select Middle East topics.

The JMCC also published the Good Governance Monitor, a periodical covering current debates on government transparency, monitoring indicators agreed-upon through the Good Governance Forum, a consortium of NGOs specialized in various fields and coordinated by the JMCC.

Publications
The JMCC has published numerous English and Arabic reports on negotiations- and governance-related issues. It also publishes an Arabic journal, Filistiniyat, on Palestinian current affairs.