Palestinian Journalists Pay Visit to Wheeling

By WILLIAM DANIEL
WHEELING — A small group’s stop in Wheeling may help people halfway around the world better understand American culture.

A group of Palestinian journalists visited Ohio County Tuesday as part of a trip to see the United States from a perspective other than that offered through the media.

The U.S. State Department is conducting “America Beyond the Headlines” from Oct. 27 to Nov. 11. This 16-city tour is sponsored by Vision Shared Inc., a statewide, nonprofit economic development organization focused on blending diverse groups with the goal of bettering the quality of life for West Virginians.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share with a foreign audience how Vision Shared volunteers are working to improve the quality of life for West Virginians,” said Juliet Terry, president of Vision Shared and a native of Wheeling.

The State Department said Palestinians read about the U.S. in their newspapers almost every day, but the majority of the articles concern foreign policy. This prohibits them from understanding the depth of American culture and society.

Fadi H.T. AbuSaada of Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine, is the director of the Palestine News Network.

He believes this program is beneficial to foreign policy. This is his first visit to the United States, and he wanted to experience ‘‘everything but politics.’’

Interpreter Fayez Ateya said American headlines concerning Palestine are “not so good.”

“No matter what they do, they’re terrorists,” said Ateya. He hopes this visit to the United States will help disprove this misconception.

The group participated in a roundtable discussion at the Oglebay Resort and Conference Center before touring the Oglebay Mansion Museum.

‘‘America is a great country. In our county, we focus on political issues. We saw America from inside. We saw societies, communities, diversity and new ideas,’’ said Issa Mohammad Rabi Sharabati of Jerusalem, West Bank, Palestine, who is a correspondent with the Alhayat Aljadida newspaper and the Chicago Tribune.

This reporting tour will enable these journalists to share vital aspects of American culture and society with residents of the West Bank and Gaza, who might not otherwise have a chance to learn about American culture.

Topics covered will include: voluntarism, religious freedom, American religious diversity, American sports and American individualism.

‘‘We hope American journalists come to Palestine and make a similar visit to know about Palestine above the headlines,’’ said journalist Yousef Shayeb.