International Media and the War on Gaza: Modalities of Discourse and the Clash of Narratives

Dr. Al Khalil holds a PhD in Political Science. He began his career as a journalist at Al-Sharq newspaper in Qatar, later becoming head of its political section before joining Al Jazeera Media Network in 2000. He was a member of the founding team of Al Jazeera Net, where he served as editorial secretary and then assistant managing editor, before becoming managing editor in 2010. In 2018, he was appointed Director of Al Jazeera Centre for Studies.

Dr. Al Khalil has academic, training and consultancy experience in both journalism and political science, particularly in digital journalism, editorial management, and the establishment and administration of media institutions. He also has training and consultancy experience in international relations and the geopolitical landscape of the Arab world and West Africa. He has conducted numerous courses at Al Jazeera Media Institute and other relevant institutions.

Dr. Alhirthani’s career encompasses teaching translation, conducting research on translation and intercultural communication, and translating from English into Arabic. He has published numerous refereed research papers and books in renowned and award-winning cultural venues both within and beyond the Arab world.

As a translation educator and consultant, Dr. Alhirthani has taught a wide range of graduate-level courses, including literary translation, media translation, and discourse and communication analysis. He also has substantial experience in academic administration, leading study teams and teaching staff, organising workshops, and serving on conference committees. His expertise extends to designing courses and programmes for undergraduate and graduate students.

Dr. Alhirthani has supervised and refereed numerous postgraduate theses in translation and intercultural studies at both local and international institutions. His exceptional work as a translator earned him the prestigious Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding for his Arabic translation of Brownlie’s Principles of Public International Law, a monumental work comprising 1328 pages.

Dr. Alhirthani’s career encompasses teaching translation, conducting research on translation and intercultural communication, and translating from English into Arabic. He has published numerous refereed research papers and books in renowned and award-winning cultural venues both within and beyond the Arab world.

As a translation educator and consultant, Dr. Alhirthani has taught a wide range of graduate-level courses, including literary translation, media translation, and discourse and communication analysis. He also has substantial experience in academic administration, leading study teams and teaching staff, organising workshops, and serving on conference committees. His expertise extends to designing courses and programmes for undergraduate and graduate students.

Dr. Alhirthani has supervised and refereed numerous postgraduate theses in translation and intercultural studies at both local and international institutions. His exceptional work as a translator earned him the prestigious Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding for his Arabic translation of Brownlie’s Principles of Public International Law, a monumental work comprising 1328 pages.

Dr. Yahiaoui has a PhD in Translation Studies from London Metropolitan University, UK, and a Master’s Degree in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Salford, UK. He has a wealth of experience teaching translation and interpreting, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and academic writing. In addition, he has worked as a professional interpreter for over a decade, providing services to the UK Foreign Office and the National Health Service.

El-Taweel is a disability advocate and activist whose work media accessibility and inclusive communication in the Arab world. She holds a PhD in Translation Studies: Media Accessibility from the University of Antwerp.

El-Taweel teaches courses in Translation for Access, covering topics such as audio description, subtitling for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, and easy-to-understand language. Her research explores the intersection of disability, deafness and accessibility within Arabic media and cultural contexts.

Dr. Abdul-Jabbar holds a PhD from the University of Alberta, where he was awarded The Bacchus Graduate Research Prize for scholarly excellence in international and multicultural education. He was also awarded the University of Alberta President’s Doctoral Prize of Distinction, among other awards such the Andrew Stewart Memorial Graduate Prize for outstanding accomplishment and potential in pursuit of new knowledge. His research considers how intercultural communication resonates with educational practices; it explores the convergences of seemingly differing cultures to infuse intercultural dialogue into educational discourse. Prior to joining Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), he was a faculty member at Yorkville University and an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta, Canada. He is the author of Negotiating Diasporic Identity in Arab-Canadian Students: Double Consciousness, Belonging, and Radicalization (2019) and Medieval Muslim Philosophers and Intercultural Communication: Towards a Dialogical Paradigm in Education (2023).

Dr. Alsmadi holds a PhD from Allameh Tabatabai University in Iran. She is a lecturer and a member of Al Sharq Academia. She worked as a university professor at Middle East University between 2012 and 2013 and at Zarqa University between 2011 and 2012. She was a correspondent for Al Jazeera Net in Tehran between 2007 and 2010, a writer for the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat between 2009 and 2020, and a reporter and editor for several Jordanian newspapers, including Al-Arab Al-Youm, Al-Liwa and Al-Sabeel. She served as managing editor of Al-Arab Al-Youm from 2003 to 2005 and as a research assistant at Yarmouk University. She is the author of several books, including, Iran and Hamas: From Marj al-Zuhur to Tufan al-Aqsa, Political Currents in Iran, The Arabs and Iran: A Review of History and Politics and Women in Politics.

Dr. Maki holds a PhD in Media with a specialisation in Mass Communication from the University of Baghdad, earned in 1995. He worked as an executive producer at the Al Jazeera Media Network between 2004 and 2018, and also served as assistant managing editor of Al Jazeera Net.

In academia, Dr. Maki served as head of the Department of Media at the College of Arts, University of Baghdad, from 2000 to 2002, and as assistant dean of the same college between 1997 and 2000. He was a professor of journalism at both the College of Arts and the College of Media at the University of Baghdad from 1983 to 2003. He also taught as an associate professor at Ahlia University in Bahrain and Qatar University, and was a visiting professor at the University of Aden in Yemen.

Dr. Maki was awarded the academic title of “Professor” in Media in 2002 and was named “Best Journalist in Iraq” by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate in 1995.

Dr. Erraji is also the managing editor of Al Jazeera for Communication and Media Studies and the former editorial secretary of Lubab. In addition, he has served as an academic supervisor in the Al Jazeera fellowship programme for educational and field research in media and digital journalism since its launch in 2018. His research interests include media; communications; their cognitive, cultural and social impacts; and critical media discourse analysis. Among his most prominent research works are The Environment of Arab Electronic Journalism: The Contexts of Development and Prospects and The Power of Social Media and Its Impact on Traditional Media Networks and the Political Environment as an editor, and chapters in books such as Al Jazeera Tells its Story: In-Depth Studies as an author.