Palestinian National Authority Travel Guide - Communications

Country code: 970.

Coverage is good, including the Gaza Strip, with a few patchy areas along the northern border with Jordan and to the west of the Dead Sea.

Access is relatively easy although the high cost of telecommunications is a limiting factor. Over 240,000 Palestinians had Internet access in 2006 making Palestine one of the largest Internet users in the Arab world.

Cheap and reliable postal services are available in Palestine but heavy packages may only be posted in Jerusalem with Israeli stamps. Post takes around one week to reach Europe and 10 days to the USA.

The Palestinian media is widely regarded as more liberal than much of the Arab world, but self-censorship is common due to the risk of harassment and threats from activists. The media rights group Reporters without Borders believe that violence (including murder) towards journalists markedly increased in 2005. 

The Palestinian president has jurisdiction over the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation, the country's official broadcaster. This was imposed in 2006, most likely as a measure to prevent the strongly-Hamas government from having too much control over the media.

• The largest daily is privately-run, Jerusalem-based Al-Quds.
• Al-Ayyam is a private, Ramallah-based daily 
• The Palestinian National Authority daily is Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah.

• Palestine TV is the official channel.
• Gaza-based Palestine Satellite Channel is also official.
• Al-Quds Educational TV, Al-Nawras TV, Shepherds TV, Al-Mahd TV, Al-Majd TV, and Watan TV are some of the private TV stations in operation.

• Voice of Palestine is the official station.