Israeli-Arab journalist gives perspective on Gaza conflict

Israeli-Arab journalist Khaled Abu-Toameh has been called a traitor for working for both Israeli and Palestinian publications.

Abu-Toameh's perspective is one reason he spoke at the Kimmel Center yesterday about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The son of an Israeli Arab and a Palestinian, Abu-Toameh is an award-winning journalist who has covered Palestinian issues in the West Bank and Gaza for more than 20 years. He has produced documentaries on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, acts as a Palestinian correspondent for NBC, and is a reporter for the Jerusalem Post.

"There has never been a decision by the Palestine to boycott the Israeli newspapers," Abu-Toameh said about working for papers on both sides of the conflict. "As a journalist, I'm only pro the facts and the truth."

Referring to the 2006 Hamas takeover of Gaza, Abu-Toameh said Israel is the buffer between Hamas and the U.S.-supported Fatah.

"Fatah and Hamas are at war with each other," he said, "and had it not been for Israel's presence in the middle between West Bank and Gaza, these two countries would be dispatching suicide bombers and weapons against each other."

Though Abu-Toameh is optimistic about the future, he said there is much more work left to do.

"The only way to move forward is by going to the Palestinians first and say, 'Listen folks. Get your acts together. Reform yourselves. End this bloody power struggle. Reunite West Bank with Gaza,' " he said.

Abu-Toameh's perspective is beneficial for students to hear, according to senior Shira Wieder, co-president of Gesher, the pro-Israel and Zionist group at NYU who organized the event.

"Students should learn that its not so cut-and-dry on both sides," Wieder said. "Things are not as exactly as they may seem."

She added: "You really need to delve into the real details and get real people who are part of the issues to really understand what is going on."

Clarissa Wei is a staff writer.