Al-Jazeera and Israel

I just shook my head yesterday watching the prime time Behind the News program on al-Jazeera dedicated to reports in the Israeli press about meetings between Saudi officials and Israeli Prime Minister Olmert (no transcript on line yet, sorry).  Just part of the perennially tiresome Saudi-Qatari feud, which plays out in part with al-Arabiya exposes of Qatari contacts with Israel and al-Jazeera exposes of Saudi contacts with Israel (as if anyone is really surprised by either).   The only reason I even mention it is because it follows on the heels of a fascinating episode of al-Jazeera's most popular talk show, The Opposite Direction, which aired on October 3.  The focus of the episode was the impact of the Lebanon war on Israel's image in the Arab world and on Israeli internal politics.   What made it interesting was that one of the guests on the program was deputy speaker of Israel's Knesset Majali Wahabi, an Israeli Druze Member of the Knesset, formerly of the Likud Party and now of Kadima. 

Even as the two stations play tit for tat on each other's "secret" meetings with Israel, al-Jazeera's top program puts a high-ranking Israeli politician on the air to argue with a strong Arab sparring partner (Palestinian-Jordanian journalist 'Urib Rentawi).  I doubt that Wahabi had much of a chance to "win" the argument, but I think this kind of direct engagement and public argument is all to the good.  At least Wahabi has the chance to correct inaccurate facts, put a human face on the Israeli enemy, and present Israeli viewpoints to a large Arab audience.

From an American public diplomacy perspective, it's hard to believe that even Israel gets more high ranking politicians on to al-Jazeera talk shows than does the United States, whose senior officials are regularly invited but have gone back to a surly de facto boycott of al-Jazeera since Lebanon (on the rare occasions when they feel like addressing an Arab audience is important, they choose the Saudi al-Arabiya instead - as Condi Rice did the other day).   This hurts America more than it hurts al-Jazeera, and it's a shame.  At least more former officials and American commentators have been appearing on al-Jazeera lately, but that doesn't make up for the absence of official voices. 

Comments

[quax]

They probably figure sending a bomb their way ever so often speaks for itself.

[Dirk]

Completely agree.

The Israelis realise that they won't win any arguments, but at the very least they are giving the 'Zionist entity' a human face and challenging some of the assumptions that your average AJ viewer will have about Ithem.