A South African-backed radio station has hit the airwaves in Israel and the occupied West Bank in an attempt to promote peace in the region.
"There's not much on the radio that's independent in the Middle East," said news director Andrew Bolton of the $2-million project. "Most are broadcast in Arabic or Hebrew and they are definitely taking sides. We are not taking sides."
The English-language station, 93.6 RAM FM, is based on a similar South African station (702 Talk Radio) that even Nelson Mandela hailed as an important forum during the country's transition from apartheid to democracy.
"This was where the action was. This was where the politicians met and discussed," said South African broadcaster John Berks.
The radio content will be mostly pop music until people become aware of the station. Then the format will change to talk radio with news bulletins and call-in shows.
Palestinian reporters for the station will work out of a Ramallah, West Bank studio while Israeli anchors will sign on from West Jerusalem starting next week.
"Each person just has their own narrative and they don't interact. It's important to understand the other," said Palestinian reporter Ashira Ramadan.
But with the two studios divided by checkpoints and Israel's security barrier, travel restrictions mean most of the staff in the West Bank will never meet their Israeli counterparts face-to-face.
"Our function is to provide the opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to share their opinions, maybe create a bridge of understanding and maybe create elements of tolerance which are needed in any peace process," said Izzy Kirsch, an investor in the project and founder of 702 Talk Radio.
RAM FM received a license from the Palestinian Authority in December 2005. They do not have a license to operate in Israel so the show will be transmitted from Ramallah. The broadcasters told Â鶹´«Ã½ that it was easier to apply for a licence in the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority rather than go through Israeli bureaucracy.
The station is a private venture, operating independently of any government or NGO, and aims to become self-sustaining through selling ads.
RAM FM has also hired Australian, British and South African staff.
With a report from CTV's Janis Mackey Frayer in Ramallah
