At the end of the twentieth century, I partially relocated to the Jordanian capital, Amman, after marrying into the Madanat family. At first, Amman served as a place of temporary residence. I used to visit every weekend, finding rest in its embrace after a demanding week of media work in Palestine.

Later, following the assumption of constitutional responsibilities by His Majesty King Abdullah II after the passing of the late King Hussein, may he rest in peace, an opportunity emerged to embark on a new media experience. This initiative was encouraged at the time by Ministers of Information, at different stages, Saleh Al Qallab and Marwan Al Muasher, and was supported by former Greater Amman Municipality Mayor, Engineer Nidal Al Hadid, who sponsored this early experiment.

I never expected that AmmanNet, which was launched online on December 15, 2000, would continue for a quarter of a century, graduate dozens of media professionals, and leave a lasting impact in entrenching the concept of community media, not only in Jordan but across the Arab world.

Over the past years, I have continued writing, particularly in English, about Palestine. My presence in Amman, combined with the support of many experts and officials, the unsung heroes, played a key role in the success of my international journalistic work. This journey resulted in contributions to leading global newspapers and the receipt of prestigious media awards that I take great pride in.

Global search engines attest that my writings on Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem have achieved some of the highest engagement rates of any journalist, Arab or non Arab, on the subject of Jerusalem and the Hashemite custodianship of Al Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and all religious sites in the Holy City.

Although most of my journalistic focus, especially in English, has revolved around Jerusalem and Palestine, I also made a concerted effort to engage with the professional media landscape in Jordan. Here, I feel compelled, one last time, to touch on several journalistic issues I worked on and wrote about. At times, I was right, and at other times, I was misunderstood. Yet my goal has always been to serve the profession of journalism and, drawing on global experiences and my modest experience in Palestine, to plant the seeds of what media, particularly community media, can achieve in uplifting societies and nations.

One of the issues that consistently occupied my attention was the absence of media decentralization. I expressed this concern in a meeting attended by others, where His Majesty King Abdullah graciously listened to my views and agreed on the importance of working toward decentralized media that supports decentralization goals and helps curb the destructive migration from rural areas to cities.

My focus has always been, and remains, on the necessity of establishing independent media institutions with local ownership, particularly local radio stations that cover local news, while national and international news should remain the domain of official and commercial media.

I also called for reducing the excessive fees imposed on media outlets, not only those required to obtain broadcast frequencies from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, but also the high fees paid to the Media Commission without any tangible services in return.

We partially succeeded in reducing these fees by 50 percent. However, to this day, media remains largely confined to official and commercial institutions, and civil society organizations have not been given the opportunity to own media outlets, unlike in many other countries. According to World Bank studies, community media owned by civil society organizations has achieved notable success in Latin America, Africa, and Asia in reducing unemployment, building cohesive local communities, and limiting migration from rural areas to cities.

Beyond my journalistic work in Jordan, I had the privilege of discovering archaeological sites that reflect the depth and importance of Jordan’s role in conveying the Christian message to the world. This became a personal passion after I realized that hundreds of references in both the Old and New Testaments are located on the land of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

There is a pressing need to share this knowledge and to create the necessary foundations to welcome millions of pilgrims. This realization led me to establish Al Maghtas Magazine in 2002, and later, in 2021, to launch the Salt of the Earth website. Through this platform, we sought to strengthen bonds, reinforce the Christian presence in our beloved Mashreq, and support Christian tourism to Jordan and Palestine, despite the unjustified attacks by the occupation, settlers, and some pro Zionist actors.

After a quarter century of direct involvement, I have decided to retire from daily administrative work. As of January 1, my official administrative responsibilities will be transferred to a professional team that has proven its competence and professionalism over the years. I remain ready to offer advice and counsel if requested.

Once again, I extend my gratitude to the city of Amman and to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for their warm hospitality. I will continue to reside in the Jordanian capital and to pursue my journalistic work, conveying an authentic image of Jordan and Palestine to the world through all available means.

Daoud Kuttab, Palestinian journalist from Jerusalem, residing in Amman and Jerusalem