Palestinian news agency launches Hebrew website

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The state-run Palestinian news agency Wafa on Monday launched a Hebrew version of its service in a bid to give the Israeli public, lawmakers and officials an unfiltered view of their adversary.

Available on the Internet at its site, www.hebrew.wafa.ps, the service covers politics, economy, and culture. Wafa said a daily newsletter would also be emailed to Israeli legislators, ministries and Hebrew media outlets.

The launching of the site came just one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled tough terms for a Middle East peace, endorsing -- with major conditions -- the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state.

The Palestinian news agency's director, Riyad al-Hassan, said the Hebrew version would also focus on the Arabs who make up 20 percent of the population of Israel. "Wafa will be committed to credibility and objectivity, free of incitement, ready to interact objectively with its readership," Hassan wrote.

Wafa, first launched in Lebanon in 1972 to cover news of the late Yasser Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization, has French and English services, in addition to Arabic.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta, writing by Mohammed Assadi, editing by Douglas Hamilton)

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