From Jerusalem to Jerusalem... Free Pen Forum

Anyone who doesn't remember the sight of "Jerusalem" on the morning table doesn't know how Palestinians begin their day. From house to house, from generation to generation, the newspaper has been our mirror and the beginning of our day from the occupied land.

Since my childhood, the name "Al-Quds" has meant more than a city and more than a newspaper. It has meant home, identity, and an unfailing memory. I would see the newspaper arrive at our house every morning, like a loyal visitor bearing news of the homeland, the pain of the people, and the dignity of the letter.

I grew up reading the ink of Jerusalem, and I accompanied its letters just as I accompanied my father, Dr. Saeb Erekat, on the paths of politics and struggle. I learned that a word is a position, that documentation is a responsibility, and that writing is not a luxury, but an act of resistance. "Al-Quds" was not just a newspaper we read; it was part of the fabric of daily life in every Palestinian home, north and south, in the homeland and diaspora.

In every issue, Al-Quds carried people's faces, mothers' voices, martyrs' wills, and prisoners' whispers. It recorded history as it was, without embellishment or falsification, presenting it faithfully to generation after generation. It was the Palestinian's eye on the world, and the world's eye on Palestine.

Mahmoud Abu Al-Zulf, the man who viewed national journalism as a tool for building awareness, established a platform that has remained resilient despite all challenges. He was one of the few who realized early on that the media is not just a transmitter of news, but a bearer of the message of national dignity. Today, his sons Walid, Marwan, Ziad, and Caroline, along with their mother, Eileen Abu Al-Zulf, may God grant her good health and wellness, continue this great journey with loyalty and responsibility, carrying their father's banner and remaining faithful to his legacy, which has become an integral part of the Palestinian national consciousness.

My father, however, believed that free speech was no less important than any negotiations or political decisions. He viewed Jerusalem as a platform that reflected the pulse of the people and conveyed the Palestinian voice to where it should be heard. He was among the first to establish the Jerusalem Talk column, which over the years has become a free space for discussion and analysis of major issues affecting the fate of the nation and its people.

Today, I proudly continue this legacy, writing my weekly volunteer column in Jerusalem for the tenth consecutive year as part of my social and national responsibility toward my cause. I write because I believe the art of writing is a tool for raising awareness, a means of sustaining thought, and a bridge connecting generations in the battle for memory and belonging.

Jerusalem is the platform of the free writer and thinker, the voice of the unpaid pen. Those who write in Jerusalem write with their mind and conscience, not dictated by anyone or paid for. It is the address of the free writer and the honest mirror of the pulse of a people who do not compromise their freedom and dignity.

In this special issue, number twenty thousand, I can only say: Thank you to Jerusalem, the platform of dignity and the mirror of the homeland. Behind every issue stands an editorial team no less courageous than any resistance fighter on earth, a liberation army of a different kind, carrying the pen as a weapon, the truth as a banner, and waging the battle of the word every day with unwavering determination. Thank you to everyone who wrote a letter with sincerity, and to everyone who reads with the feeling that in this newspaper is their voice, their memory, and their future. Yes, writing is resistance, and documentation is a responsibility, and from Jerusalem, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the word will remain our weapon, the ink our promise, and the message an unwavering trust.

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Mahmoud Abu Al-Zuluf, the man who saw national journalism as a tool for building awareness, established a platform that has endured despite all the challenges. He was one of the few who realized early on that the media is not just a transmitter of news, but also a bearer of the message of national dignity.