Bethlehem/PNN /
The Russian House for Science and Culture in Palestine on Wednesday held an open meeting with a group of journalists and media representatives, presenting its activities in the country and highlighting recent media exchange programmes that included the participation of Palestinian journalists.
The session was attended by Dr Timofey BokoV, director of the Russian House in Palestine, along with members of the Palestinian Association of Russian University Graduates and the centre’s staff. Nora Badwan, media cooperation officer at Russia Today’s Arabic service, also joined the discussion. On the Palestinian side, participants included Hassan Abdel Jawad, member of the General Secretariat of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, as well as several media directors and reporters such as Monjed Jado, director of PNN. Four Palestinian journalists – Mohammed Abu Haniya, Haya Hamdan and Jad Ibrahim among them – who recently took part in Russia Today’s cooperation programme, also shared their experiences.
Dr. BokoV welcomed the participants, thanking them for attending the introductory session.
He stressed the Russian House’s commitment to building stronger ties with Palestinian journalists and institutions through cultural and media cooperation. He underlined that this was the first such meeting since taking up his post, and said the centre considers journalists essential partners in conveying the work of the Russian House to Palestinian society.
He also noted that Russia attaches great importance to its relations with Palestine and described the exchange programmes – including Discover Moscow and Russia Today’s media familiarisation visits – as part of a broader effort to deepen bilateral cooperation.
Nora Badwan presented Russia Today’s cooperation initiatives with Arab countries, expressing satisfaction at hosting Palestinian journalists this year.
She said the network had raised the age limit for exchange participants to 40, in order to expand opportunities for both male and female Palestinian and Arab journalists. She affirmed the channel’s readiness to explore further ideas for collaboration.
The participating journalists then shared their impressions of their week-long visit to Russia, which included visits to the Victory Museum and Moscow landmarks. They described the experience as enriching and said they had sought to bring a more nuanced picture of Russian life back to their Palestinian audiences. Video highlights of the programme were also screened.
During an open discussion, participants reflected on the evolution of the Russian cultural centre into today’s Russian House and raised suggestions for future collaboration.
Monjed Jado emphasised the importance of exchange schemes in equipping young Palestinian journalists with international experience, but also highlighted the need for wider institutional cooperation between Palestinian and Russian media outlets. He stressed that Palestinian journalism itself represents a unique and resilient experience, particularly under increasing Israeli pressure in recent years.
Journalists further recommended broadening the scope of cooperation beyond youth, and diversifying programmes to include print, broadcast, cinema, culture and tourism. They also proposed exploring the creation of a joint Palestinian-Russian platform to coordinate future exchange initiatives.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to hold further sessions to develop practical mechanisms for media cooperation. Dr Yukov reiterated the Russian House’s readiness to convene follow-up meetings soon to advance these discussions.
