User:R at MEMRI/Background draft

Background
The institute was co-founded in 1998 by Yigal Carmon, a counter-terrorism advisor to Israeli prime ministers Yitzhak Shamir and Yitzhak Rabin, and Meyrav Wurmser. Wurmser left the organization in 2001.

MEMRI gained public prominence after an increased interest in the Middle East region following the September 11 attacks. By 2002, both critics and supporters of MEMRI noted its increasing influence in shaping perceptions of the Middle East, with its translations and reports being used by journalists and policymakers.

The organization's mission statement asserts that MEMRI "[bridges] the language gap between the Middle East and the West by monitoring, translating and analyzing Middle East media". MEMRI monitors and translates print, broadcast, and digital media content, as well as speeches and sermons, and also provides analysis and regularly publishes reports on its research. Its translated articles and commentary are routinely cited in national media outlets in the United States. It has also maintained longstanding relations with law enforcement agencies.