Karmel, Al-

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KARMEL, AL-

A Palestinian literary journal founded in Beirut in 1981 by the poet Mahmud Darwish. It was relocated to Cyprus in 1982 and to Ramallah in 1996. Al-Karmel has an international scope, publishing such writers as Russell Banks, J. M. Coetzee and José Saramago, in addition to Arab and Palestinian writers. Unique among Arab publications, it also regularly publishes the work of Israeli authors. It is run by the al-Karmel Cultural Foundation from offices in the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center in Ramallah. In 2004, the editor is Hassan Khader, although Darwish remains editor-in-chief. In April 2002, the Israeli army entered the Sakakini Center, including the offices of al-Karmel, and destroyed files, papers, and equipment as they vandalized the building, while officially seeking those responsible for recent suicide bombings.

SEE ALSO Darwish, Mahmud.