Al-Quds, largest Palestinian daily: 15 articles on Venezuela, 7 critical of US
Al-Ayyam, second largest Palestinian daily: 18 articles on Venezuela, at least 2 critical of US
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, OFFICIAL PA daily: 0 articles on Venezuela
JAN 6, 2026, Palestinian Media Watch | Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is desperate for American aid and political backing in order to secure a future role in Gaza. That dependency has forced him conceal his longstanding embrace of Venezuela's anti-American regime. Abbas seems petrified that President Trump might realize the PA's place squarely within the anti-American ideological axis. As a result, Abbas ensured that the PA's official daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, remained silent on the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, even as the story features prominently among other Palestinian newspapers. The fear was so acute that the paper did not publish a single news item about Venezuela yesterday—not even a neutral report, let alone an opinion piece.
By contrast, independent Palestinian newspapers filled their pages with coverage of events in Venezuela, including columns sharply attacking the United States. The Jerusalem-based Al-Quds, the largest Palestinian daily, published 15 articles on the issue, seven of them openly critical of the United States, and devoted an entire page to short commentary responses—all critical. Al-Ayyam, the second largest daily, ran 18 articles on Venezuela, at least two of them critical, and dedicated a full page to photographs highlighting pro-Maduro protests around the world.
Al-Hayat's silence deviates sharply from the Palestinian Authority's deeply entrenched anti-American posture and its consistent support for Maduro's regime, as documented by Palestinian Media Watch. Throughout 2025 in particular, the PA publicly aligned itself with Maduro, from Ramallah Governor Laila Ghannam's participation in a "solidarity vigil" rejecting "American threats against friendly Venezuela" to PA Special Envoy Riyad Al-Malki's attendance at Maduro's inauguration ceremony. At the time, Al-Hayat itself proudly reported on Al-Malki's visit, emphasizing that "the State of Palestine is showing interest in strengthening the relations with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in all areas of common interest" [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 12, 2025].
The blackout in Al-Hayat is revealing precisely because it is unnatural. The paper's refusal to criticize the US over Venezuela exposes how tightly it is controlled by the PA. The PA keenly fears the consequences of letting Washington know where it stands in the conflict between the US and the anti-American axis. This sudden discipline does not signal ideological change. The PA remains aligned with anti-American regimes and worldviews hostile to the United States. The difference is tactical. What has apparently changed is only the PA's fear of Donald Trump.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is desperate for American aid and political backing in order to secure a future role in Gaza. That dependency has forced him conceal his longstanding embrace of Venezuela's anti-American regime. Abbas seems petrified that President Trump might realize the PA's place squarely within the anti-American ideological axis. As a result, Abbas ensured that the PA's official daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, remained silent on the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, even as the story features prominently among other Palestinian newspapers. The fear was so acute that the paper did not publish a single news item about Venezuela yesterday—not even a neutral report, let alone an opinion piece.
By contrast, independent Palestinian newspapers filled their pages with coverage of events in Venezuela, including columns sharply attacking the United States. The Jerusalem-based Al-Quds, the largest Palestinian daily, published 15 articles on the issue, seven of them openly critical of the United States, and devoted an entire page to short commentary responses—all critical. Al-Ayyam, the second largest daily, ran 18 articles on Venezuela, at least two of them critical, and dedicated a full page to photographs highlighting pro-Maduro protests around the world.
Al-Hayat's silence deviates sharply from the Palestinian Authority's deeply entrenched anti-American posture and its consistent support for Maduro's regime, as documented by Palestinian Media Watch. Throughout 2025 in particular, the PA publicly aligned itself with Maduro, from Ramallah Governor Laila Ghannam's participation in a "solidarity vigil" rejecting "American threats against friendly Venezuela" to PA Special Envoy Riyad Al-Malki's attendance at Maduro's inauguration ceremony. At the time, Al-Hayat itself proudly reported on Al-Malki's visit, emphasizing that "the State of Palestine is showing interest in strengthening the relations with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in all areas of common interest" [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 12, 2025].
The blackout in Al-Hayat is revealing precisely because it is unnatural. The paper's refusal to criticize the US over Venezuela exposes how tightly it is controlled by the PA. The PA keenly fears the consequences of letting Washington know where it stands in the conflict between the US and the anti-American axis. This sudden discipline does not signal ideological change. The PA remains aligned with anti-American regimes and worldviews hostile to the United States. The difference is tactical. What has apparently changed is only the PA's fear of Donald Trump.