Media Analysis of the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and National Post
November 11-17, 2006

Summary

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington, where the two leaders agreed to continue pressuring Iran to abandon its nuclear program. The Palestinian Authority moved closer to forming a Fatah-Hamas unity government, even as rocket fire from Gaza claimed the life of an Israeli woman. New peace initiatives were floated by the Arab League and some European countries, while the Toronto Star reported on a "secret" Israeli plan.

News

Nov. 11: "A show of Pride divides Israelis," by Mitch Potter, Toronto Star
Potter's coverage of the Jerusalem gay pride parade – downgraded to a rally – emphasizes that, while the event was successful, the controversy isn't over: "Yet in the aftermath of the festive, peaceful and utterly harmless midday gathering of 3,000 gay and lesbian activists and supporters, one can safely declare the battle deferred. Not over. Not nearly. But this particular round was put aside, even if the underlying fundamentals that drive the war are gaining intensity."

Nov. 13: "Support grows for new intifada," by Mark MacKinnon, Globe and Mail
(Subscription required)
In the West Bank, MacKinnon interviews Palestinians itching to take revenge for the IDF's accidental killing of 19 family members in Beit Hanoun, Gaza. The "crowd of angry young men, all members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade" – which MacKinnon does note is "loosely affiliated with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement" – say they are ready to resume suicide bombings.

"'Our response to what happened in Beit Hanoun will be overwhelming, especially in Tel Aviv,' said 25-year-old Alaa Hashas… 'We will wage suicide operations, we will kidnap Israeli soldiers, we will kidnap settlers.'"

Nov. 13: "Dead Sea is being gradually sucked dry," by Carolynne Wheeler, Globe and Mail
(Subscription required)
Prime page A3 real estate is devoted to this non-conflict piece on how the Dead Sea which "has already fallen to 418 metres today from 395 metres below sea level 50 years ago – is dropping as much as one metre a year, a devastating pace in the environmental world."

Wheeler does an admirable job of explaining the science behind why the sea level is falling as well as a rescue plan, agreed to by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority but disliked by environmentalists.

Nov. 13: "Arab League calls for new Mideast peace conference," by Alaa Shahine, Reuters, Globe and Mail
(Subscription required)
"Arab nations call for new Mideast peace talks," Alaa Shahine, Reuters, National Post
(Subscription required)
Both papers run this wire piece reporting that Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo "called yesterday for a new international Middle East peace conference to be attended by major United Nations powers, Arabs and Israelis.

"The Arab League ministers, meeting in emergency session in Egypt, also pledged to break Western financial sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority after Hamas won January elections, but gave scant details on how that would be achieved."

Nov. 13: "All eyes on Bush, Olmert summit," by Mitch Potter, Toronto Star
As Olmert touches down in Washington, Potter frames the meeting as one between two leaders with the "combined political capital [that] would seem barely enough for a down payment on a dog house" with Bush "freshly battered by mid-term elections" and Olmert weighed down by the war in Lebanon and last week's accidental killing in Gaza.

However, the big issue is a lack of vision, according to an analyst interviewed by Potter: "'The real problem now is that neither Bush nor Olmert has much of a plan and they are both in desperate need of one,' said Cameron Brown, deputy director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center, an Israeli think-tank.

"'Olmert is not a lame duck, but he is a wounded duck. Much of his problem stems from the absence of an agenda, so in fact I don't think Washington will have to push very hard to get Olmert involved in a new diplomatic initiative with the Palestinians.'"

Nov. 13: "Ex-general warns of Iran's nuclear goals," by Olivia Ward, Toronto Star
Ward interviews Brig.-Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser, "a former top Israeli intelligence official" who says that "Iran wants to create a new global power base by producing nuclear weapons" and "a military confrontation can't be ruled out if other efforts to halt the plans fail."

Nov. 14: "Hamas, Fatah pin aid hopes on professor, unity cabinet," by Carolynne Wheeler, Globe and Mail
(Subscription required)
"Technocrat Shubair tipped as Palestinian leader," by Matthew Fisher, National Post
(Subscription required)
Both papers profile the likely prime minister in a Fatah-Hamas unity government, Mohammad Shabir, 60, described by Wheeler in the Globe as an "American-trained microbiologist and academic."

Wheeler writes: "In an interview yesterday with the Israeli daily Haaretz, Mr. Shabir said he will not reveal his position on Israel until after he formally assumes the job, but said he will act 'realistically.' His position alone may determine whether sanctions are lifted."

Both reports quote Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni saying: "The issue is not who is sitting in the [Palestinian] government, but what the government says."

Nov. 14: "Bush, Olmert stand firm on Iran," by Jeffrey Heller and Matt Spetalnick, Reuters, Toronto Star
Wire coverage of Bush and Olmert having "turned up the heat on Iran over its nuclear program yesterday, despite growing pressure for Washington to reach out to Tehran to help stabilize Iraq."

While Bush "called for the 'economic isolation' of Iran if it proceeds with uranium enrichment in defiance of international pressure" British Prime Minister Tony Blair "challenged Iran and Syria to help stabilize Iraq or face isolation as Washington and Britain review their strategy in the face of growing opposition to their presence in Iraq" and "Australian Prime Minister John Howard, another of Bush's loyal backers in Iraq, also said yesterday talks should be held with Syria and Iran on ending the violence in Iraq."

In typical Reuters-speak, the report notes that Israel "fears that a nuclear Iran would threaten its existence" omitting the many actual threats made by Iranian leaders to destroy Israel.

Nov. 15: "Blair pushes Mideast peace," Reuters, Toronto Star
Short coverage by Reuters of Blair seemingly endorsing the "root cause" theory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Middle East terrorism. Blair is described as telling the U.S. Iraq Study Group, which is "taking soundings for U.S. President George W. Bush on how to change course in Iraq" that "progress in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the way to get moderate Muslim states to support any new plan for Iraq."

The story adds: "Blair said removing the Middle East's major flashpoint with broad regional support would pressure Syria and especially Iran to stop supporting terrorism and back peace efforts."

Nov. 15: "Israeli-Palestinian conflict reverberates across globe," by Lynda Hurst, Toronto Star
Hurst glowingly covers a report by the "UN-backed Alliance of Civilizations" – the same report praised in a Nov. 15 Star op-ed by Haroon Siddiqui and eviscerated in a Nov. 14 Post editorial (see below). The report says the Israel-Palestinian is the root cause of all Western/Muslim conflicts and that "Israel must 'not only accept but facilitate' the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.

"'The competing narratives of Palestinians and Israelis cannot be fully reconciled, but they must be mutually acknowledged,' says the group's report, presented this week to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan."

Hurst interviews Paul Heinbecker, former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations and no fan of Israel, who says "he agrees the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the heart of unrest in the Middle East."

She concludes with a quote from the report supporting Hamas as a duly elected government: "In a nod to the election this year of a Hamas government in the Palestinian territories - a vote condemned in the West - the alliance says they will have to be consistent 'in their support for democratic processes and not interfere when the results do not fit their political agenda.'"

Nov. 16: "Israel vows to avenge fatal rocket attack," by Amy Teibel, AP, Globe and Mail
An alarming headline accompanies this wire piece about "the first deadly Palestinian rocket attack on the Israeli town of Sderot since the Gaza Strip evacuation last year" which killed a 57-year-old woman and badly wounded a member of Defence Minister Amir Peretz's security team.

The lead sentence reads that "Israel promised a punishing response," later in the story several IDF raids are covered: "The army confirmed that aircraft had carried out two attacks 'aimed at buildings used to store weapons.' Three later raids were aimed at houses belonging to Hamas militants at Rafah in the south of the Strip and in Jabaliya, officials said. They could not say whether there had been any victims."

Also covered is the broadcast on Palestinian TV of a pre-recorded speech by Abbas in which he "urged Israel: 'Don't waste the chance of peace.' He said a solution depends on Israel 'recognizing our national rights, withdrawal from our lands and our Jerusalem, implementation of the international resolutions and finding a just solution and agreed upon to the issue of refugees.'" Given that huge list of demands, not suprisingly, "[t]here was no immediate Israeli response,"

Nov. 16: "Israel secretly studies 'bold' peace bid," by Mitch Potter, Toronto Star
Potter reports on a nascent Israeli peace plan, outlined in the Hebrew daily Ma'ariv, "...that would enable the creation of a provisional Palestinian state as a first step toward normalization with Palestinians and the wider Arab world." According to Ma'ariv's unnamed sources, Olmert secretly presented the concept to Bush at their White House meeting.

Potter writes: "Palestinian and Israeli officials refused comment on the initiative, which Ma'ariv described as 'consensual realignment' – a term that implies Israel now is willing to involve Palestinians in a negotiated withdrawal from parts of the West Bank, where more than 250,000 Jewish settlers live on land conquered by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War.

"But Ghassan Khatib, a senior Palestinian political figure, told the Toronto Star that diplomats working beneath the radar have begun 'an exchange of views about the potential of moving forward on the basis of a long-term ceasefire of 10 or even 15 years.'"

Meanwhile, Potter adds, much needs to happen before Olmert and Abbas can even meet, including "the successful outcome of negotiations on the issues of a prisoner exchange and the launch of a new Palestinian government on terms that would end the international funding boycott of the current Hamas-led regime."

Nov. 17: "Student vote acts as Lebanese litmus test," by Mark MacKinnon, Globe and Mail
MacKinnon has been hopping across the Israel/Lebanon border this week to report on the looming showdown between Hezbollah and pro-Western factions in the Lebanese government.

In this front page story, MacKinnon is at the American University of Beirut, "perhaps the most prestigious university in the Middle East," where "[p]ro- and anti-government students staged protests yesterday, with both sides claiming to have won the annual student council elections.

"The elections are seen as an important snapshot of the country's political mood in the middle of a power struggle: Six cabinet ministers have resigned since Sunday and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to bring down [Prime Minister] Mr. [Fouad] Siniora's government."

Nov. 17: "Strife feeds the blues at West Bank zoo," by Carolynne Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Not only are the Palestinians oppressed and suffering because of Israel, so are their zoo animals. Wheeler visits "the West Bank's only zoo, a struggling but well-kept operation that has been a source of delight to Palestinian children for 20 years" where Ruti the giraffe is "pining for a mate" because "in 2002, during an Israeli incursion into the city, soldiers fired at demonstrating students from a nearby high school, and [male giraffe] Brownie, terrified and galloping around his enclosure, ran straight into a metal pole. He fell over and died, leaving Ruti alone."

Nov. 17: "Europe offers Mideast plan," AP, Toronto Star
"Trio of European countries to plan Middle East peace initiative," by Jane Barrett, Reuters, National Post
(Not available online)
Both papers run wire stories on a peace plan being floated by Spain, France and Italy.

The Reuters story in the Post says: "The plan envisages establishing a government of national unity in the Palestinian Authority, face-to-face talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and possibly an international force deployed in the Gaza Strip to police a ceasefire..."

Adds AP in the Star: "The five-point blueprint closely mirrors a deal the moderate Palestinian president is offering Hamas to form a national unity government and makes no explicit reference to requiring Hamas to recognize Israel – a key sticking point blocking the resumption of Western aid to the impoverished Palestinians."

There was no immediate comment from Israel or the U.S.

Nov. 17: "Conservatives reversing Canada's position at UN," by Steven Edwards, National Post
Edwards reports that "Canada under the Conservatives is demonstrating a marked shift in favour of Israel in votes at the United Nations – registering its third consecutive change yesterday on more than 20 Arab- and Muslim-sponsored resolutions that are annually critical of Israeli policy, but light on Arab responsibilities.

"Yesterday, Canada abstained from a resolution that spoke of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. It had endorsed the resolution last year."

He adds "The switch from how Liberal governments voted is expected to continue when Canadian diplomats join those of other UN member states to consider 10 more of the annual resolutions next Tuesday."

To get balanced comments, interviews includes former UN Ambassador Paul Heinbecker (see his comments in Lynda Hurst's Nov. 15 Star piece above), who says: "If this is a shift, and if the resolutions are largely unchanged form previous years, then it will have implications for our reputation around the world, and echoes in Canada as well."

The print version of the story quotes Frank Dimant of B'nai Brith but the CIC is also interviewed in online and several CanWest chain versions of the piece: "'We're very pleased Canada is staying the course and is now guided by a [new] set of principles,' said Sara Freedman, a senior official with the Canada-Israel Committee. 'Doing so is putting the onus on the UN to be fair and equitable as they deal with the Middle East situation.'"

Op-Eds

Nov. 12: "Bush changes course, how about Harper," by Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
The U.S. midterm elections inspire another "it's time for Canada to stop supporting Israel" column from Siddiqui (see his Nov. 9 column – no doubt Siddiqui will push this theme for months).

Here, Siddiqui takes a circuitous route to quote in length from a piece by "a member of the elder Bush's team, Richard Haass" in Foreign Affairs, the journal of the Council on Foreign Relations. Quotes include: "'The demise of the Middle East peace process,' [is] partly due to 'the Israeli embrace of unilateralism' and Bush's refusal 'to undertake active diplomacy' in the Arab-Israeli conflict."

Remarkably, Siddiqui concludes by praising Bush while baiting Harper: "Fixing this Bush-made mess requires a wholesale change of policy and outlook, one that Bush seems prepared to make.

"How about Harper?"

Nov. 13: "Israelis uneasy about leaders," by Matthew Fisher, National Post
(Subscription required)
Fisher writes that although most Israelis are deeply disappointed with Israel's military campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza and disapprove of Olmert, this has not yet benefited his political rivals: "So, if not Lieberman or Netanyahu, who might be able to calm the pervasive unease that has settled over this country in the past three months?

"Curiously, and unexpectedly, the short-term beneficiary of this uncertainty has been Olmert.

"Because Israelis remain in a quandary over how to proceed, they have decided not to throw Olmert out yet. Nevertheless, Olmert's personal standing with the electorate is at an even lower level right now than U.S. President George W. Bush. Although elected only eight months ago, he is already regarded as a spent political force who will linger only until someone who inspires more confidence emerges."

Nov. 14: "Really, this may be the time to pursue a Mideast peace," by Gregory Levey, Globe and Mail
(Subscription required)
A former speechwriter for Israeli prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, Levey writes that the peace process may be revived, especially if a "revamped version of the 2002 Saudi peace plan" resurfaces. "There have been numerous signs that the plan – which offers a normalization of relations between Israel and the entire Arab world in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories – may be re-emerging after being seemingly forgotten for several years. It has been repeatedly brought up recently by high-ranking Saudi diplomats and, in late September, the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot reported that a secret late-night meeting had occurred in Jordan between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and members of the Saudi royal family."

But nothing will happen without strong support from the United States and other Western countries like Canada. "Canada's support for Israel this past summer did not go unnoticed by the Israeli people or their government, and bought Canada a lot of political capital in Israel. At the same time, Canada continues to enjoy a relatively high level of trust in the Arab world, and is thus now well positioned to foster the nascent dialogue in the region."

Nov. 15: "1,001 reasons for dealing with a new Palestinian government," by Shira Herzog, Globe and Mail
(Subscription required)
As the column's title suggests, Herzog argues that, if a unity Palestinian government is formed, Israel will probably have to negotiate with it for the return of Corporal Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas – and that may even involve releasing far more Palestinian prisoners than it would like: "To get Cpl. Shalit back, Israel might ultimately have to release 1,000 prisoners, some of them likely to have blood on their hands. But if, in return, it could get not just Cpl. Shalit but a significant decrease of rocket and terrorist attacks, that's a price most Israelis would agree was worthwhile."

Nov. 16: "Ottawa's muddy message hurting our image," by James Travers, Toronto Star
Another Star op-ed critiquing the Harper government, this time for, among other things, following the U.S. lead in supporting Israel in the war with Hezbollah, thus weakening the Lebanese government: "Instead of balancing Israel's right to defend itself with civilian safety and Lebanon's frailty, Harper tilted. He joined Washington in giving Tel Aviv carte blanche while pounding at home on the wedge Conservatives hope to drive between Liberals and Jews.

"Canada is a bit Middle East player and carries only proportionate blame for so weakening Lebanon's government, and indirectly strengthening Hezbollah, that another civil war looms. And here at home Harper's polarizing is just one contributing factor to the emerging consensus that a government given a minority in the last election can't be trusted with a majority in the next."

Nov. 16: "A reality check on terrorism," by Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
What's not to like for Siddiqui in the Alliance of Civilizations report, which basically blames Israel for creating conflict in the Middle East and "condemned those who link Islam to violence" because "such assertions 'are at best manifestly incorrect or at worst maliciously motivated.'"

Here is how Siddiqui summarizes the key findings on Israel – with a boost from noted Israel-basher Kofi Annan: "'The Israeli-Palestinian issue has become a key symbol of the rift between Western and Muslim societies, and remains one of the gravest threats to international stability.'

"(UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan elaborated further: 'We may wish to think of the Arab-Israeli conflict as just one regional conflict amongst many. It is not. No other conflict carries such a powerful symbolic and emotional charge among people far removed from the battlefield.')"

Editorials

Nov. 14: "Alliance of the irrelevant," National Post
In direct oppostion to the Star, the Post takes aim at the Alliance of Civilizations report: "[T]he alliance report is full of the kind of wishful thinking which in recent years has become a hallmark of the UN. Even if all its scores of recommendations were implemented, the report would do nothing to lessen the tensions between radical Islam and the rest of the world. That is because the tensions arise largely from radical Islam's exclusionary world view and its hostility to all those who are not adherents to this particularly extreme faith."

However, the group says that "[d]isparities between 'the powerful and the powerless or the rich and the poor or between different political groups, classes, occupations and nationalities' are more likely at the root of international terrorism than are the tensions between militant Islam and Western notions of freedom…They also blame 'occupation' for provoking the fear and suspicion that has led to terrorism. While they do not specify which occupation, it is clear they mean Israel's occupation of the disputed territories around its borders; and to a lesser extent, the American-led coalition's occupation of Iraq."