İngilizce | Western Powers Condemn Israeli Plan for 1,200 New Settlement Units in Occupied West Bank

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LONDON — A group of major Western powers has strongly condemned Israel's plans to issue tenders for the construction of approximately 1,200 new settler housing units in a strategically vital area of the occupied West Bank.

In a joint statement, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada described the decision as "unacceptable" and called on the Israeli government to "immediately reverse these plans."

The coordinated diplomatic rebuke highlights growing international concern over the expansion of settlements, which allies warn further jeopardizes the viability of a two-state solution and undermines regional stability.

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From Stone Tablets to Digital Screens: The Unbroken Thread of Journalism

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How the human impulse to inform — carved in Roman marble, printed in Ottoman Smyrna, and broadcast over early internet chat rooms — shaped the press we know today.

Long before the printing press existed, the Roman Empire operated what may be the world's first public information service. Stone or metal tablets inscribed with the Acta Diurna — daily notices of military victories, legal proceedings, and civic affairs — were displayed in public squares across the empire. Written in Latin, they embodied a purpose journalism still holds today: keeping society informed.

 Great Britain is widely regarded as the birthplace of English-language journalism, yet the earliest English news publications arrived from abroad. In the early seventeenth century, printed news sheets called Corantes were produced in Amsterdam and imported into England, where domestic censorship restricted local publishing. London soon developed its own versions, and by 1702 The Daily Courant — generally recognized as the first successful daily newspaper in English — had established itself as a milestone in press history. 

"Its essential mission has remained constant: to inform the public, preserve historical memory, and connect communities across borders and generations."

Smyrna's multilingual press and the rise of Kurdish journalism

Within the Ottoman Empire, the cosmopolitan port city of Smyrna — today's İzmir — became a significant hub for foreign-language publishing. American missionary Josiah Brewer helped establish an English-language periodical serving merchants, sailors, and the city's international community, reflecting the region's commercial and cultural diversity

Kurdish journalism emerged under challenging circumstances. The first Kurdish newspaper, Kurdistân, was founded in Cairo on April 22, 1898, by members of the Kurdish intellectual diaspora. After the First World War, the bilingual publication Jîn appeared in Constantinople in 1918, featuring both Ottoman Turkish and Kurdish content. By 1992, Welat became one of the first modern newspapers published entirely in Kurdish within Turkey.

A digital turning point: Ardahan Newspaper

The mid-1990s marked a new chapter in media history as local journalism converged with emerging digital technology. Established in 1995 by journalist and entrepreneur Mehmet Ali Arslan, Ardahan Newspaper sought to bridge communities across geographical boundaries. Using early internet platforms such as mIRC and ICQ, the publication built connections between Ardahan, Istanbul, and readers abroad — including those in the United States

Publishing in English, Kurdish, and Turkish, the newspaper embraced the digital era by expanding into online reporting, multimedia storytelling, and web-based publishing. Through continuous adaptation to changing technologies and audience expectations, it has remained an active platform for regional, national, and international news — illustrating how local journalism can thrive in a globally connected world.

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