The Two Faces of Al Jazeera

by Oren Kessler

O
ne of the principal beneficiaries of the Arab uprisings has been Al Jazeera televi-
sion. Viewers are praising the English and Arabic channels’ comprehensive cov-
erage of the revolts while the Obama administration continues to court the net-
work as part of its signature foreign policy goal of improving ties with the Arab and
Muslim worlds.
On August 1, 2011, Al Jazeera English (AJE) began broadcasting to two million cable
subscribers in New York—the third major U.S. city to carry the station after Houston and
Washington, D.C.1 AJE’s gutsy, driven reporting—one commentator aptly commended
its “hustle”2—has won it friends in high places: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lauded
the channel as “real news,”3 and Sen. John McCain (Republican, Ariz.) said he was “very
proud” of its handling of the so-called Arab Spring.4
Lost in the exuberance is the fact that a vast gulf still separates the channel’s English
iteration from the original Arabic, which fifteen years after its birth continues to inflame
Arab resentments in its promotion of anti-Americanism, Sunni sectarianism and, in recent
years, Islamism.
As AJE debuts in New York, many viewers who do not speak Arabic will presume the
station to be a direct or approximate translation of its parent network in Qatar.5 But to
appreciate what Al Jazeera English is, it is critical to remember just what it is not—even a
remote likeness of its Arabic-speaking progenitor.

play to an Arab gallery whose political bitterness

FANNING THE FLAMES they share—and feed.”6
Virtually all of the channel’s journalists, he
In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, found, were either leftist, pan-Arab nationalists,
Fouad Ajami traveled to Qatar to write a profile on or Islamists. “Although Al Jazeera has sometimes
Al Jazeera Arabic (AJA) for The New York Times been hailed in the West for being an autonomous,
Magazine. In the cover story “What the Muslim
World Is Watching,” he wrote, “Jazeera’s report-
ers see themselves as ‘anti-imperialists.’ Con-
vinced that the rulers of the Arab world have given 1 The New York Times, Aug. 1, 2011.
in to American might, these are broadcasters who 2 Robert D. Kaplan, “Why I Love Al Jazeera,” The Atlantic, Oct.
2009.
3 The Huffington Post, Mar. 18, 2011.
4 Politico (Arlington, Va.), May 17, 2011.
5 Judea Pearl, “A statement of observation concerning Al Jazeera,”
USA America’s Survival News (Owings, Md.), Feb. 23, 2011.
Oren Kessler is Middle East affairs correspon- 6 Fouad Ajami, “What the Muslim World Is Watching,” The
dent for The Jerusalem Post. New York Times Magazine, Nov. 18, 2001.

Kessler: Al Jazeera / 47
 Arabic news outlet, it would be a mistake to call it even “paradise operations” while “War in Iraq”
a fair or responsible one,” he wrote. “Day in and is replaced by “War on Iraq.”11 Similarly, Israel’s
day out, Al Jazeera deliberately fans the flames of 2008-09 Gaza offensive was branded “War on
Muslim outrage.”7 Gaza” in both Arabic and English.12
It was in the days after the 2001 attacks that In his 2004 state of the union address, Presi-
most Americans first encountered Al Jazeera dent George W. Bush singled out Al Jazeera as a
Arabic (the English offshoot was still five years source of “hateful propaganda” in the Arab world,
away) when the channel broadcast its first Osama and then-defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld
bin Laden tape, an admis- blasted its war coverage as “propaganda,”13 “in-
sion of responsibility for excusably biased,”14 and “vicious.”15
In Afghanistan, the slaughter. The clip
Al Jazeera’s was the first of about ten
audio and video state- “REAL NEWS”
narrative was ments AJA would broad-
roughly cast of the al-Qaeda leader Al Jazeera’s sympathetic coverage, in both
analogous to over the same number of Arabic and English, of the past year’s Arab up-
years.8 heavals signaled to many that Americans may
the Taliban’s.
In the wake of those finally let the network in from the cold.16 It was
attacks, Ajami discov- a view the Obama administration—eager to
ered, bin Laden was Al Jazeera’s unchallenged drain the bad blood of the Bush era—readily
star: “The channel’s graphics assign him a lead encouraged.
role: There is bin Laden seated on a mat, his “Al Jazeera has been the leader in that they
submachine gun on his lap; there is bin Laden on are literally changing people’s minds and atti-
horseback in Afghanistan, the brave knight of tudes. And like it or hate it, it is really effec-
the Arab world. A huge, glamorous poster of bin tive,” Secretary of State Clinton told the Sen-
Laden’s silhouette hangs in the background of ate Foreign Relations Committee in March. AJE,
the main studio set.”9 she said, is “must watch, real journalism.”17
In Afghanistan, Al Jazeera’s narrative was Dana Shell Smith—the first deputy assistant
roughly analogous to the Taliban’s: ill-equipped, secretary of state for international media en-
heroic Muslims overcoming the foreign invader gagement and an Arabic speaker—described
through sheer courage and faith. Taliban-embed- Al Jazeera Arabic as a “really important media
ded reporters ended their broadcasts with the entity” with which the administration has a “re-
sign-off “Islamic Republic of Afghanistan”—the ally great relationship.”18
Islamist government’s official name for the coun- The thaw has been bipartisan with Republi-
try—while the U.S. war on terror was denied the cans as wary as Democrats of slighting a network
same treatment, identified instead as a campaign riding a worldwide wave of popularity—AJE now
against “what it calls terror.”10 reaches a quarter of a billion people in 130 coun-
Coverage in Iraq has been similar. Words like
“terror” and “insurgency” are rarely mentioned
with a straight face, usually replaced with “resis-
tance” or “struggle.” Suicide bombings against 11 Judea Pearl, “Another perspective, or jihad TV?” The Inter-
national Herald Tribune, Jan. 17, 2007.
U.S. troops are “commando attacks” or sometimes 12 “War on Gaza,” labs.aljazeera.net/warongaza, accessed Aug.
30, 2011.
13 “Al Jazeera’s Global Gamble,” Pew Research Center’s Project
for Excellence in Journalism, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2006.
7 Ibid. 14 Associated Press, Feb. 6, 2004.
8 “Timeline: Messages from bin Laden,” Aljazeera.net, May 2, 15 The Sunday Times (London), Nov. 27, 2005.
2011. 16 Los Angeles Times, Feb. 7, 2011.
9 Ajami, “What the Muslim World Is Watching.” 17 The Huffington Post, Mar. 18, 2011.
10 Ibid. 18 Politico, Apr. 17, 2011.

48 / MIDDLE EAST QUARTERLY WINTER 2012

tries19—and perceived as siding
with freedom and democracy
against dictatorship.20
“It’s like Rip Van Winkle—
you wake up and, my God, it’s a
different world,” said Tony
Burman, at the time AJE’s chief
strategic adviser for the Ameri-
cas. “Hosni Mubarak did in eigh-
teen days what I thought it would
take two years to do.” Walking
through the State Department,
Burman said, he sees his station
playing on virtually every com-
puter and television screen.21
Judea Pearl is a celebrated Al Jazeera’s coverage of U.S. involvement in Iraq betrays its
University of California computer Islamist sympathies, referring to suicide bombings against
scientist and cofounder of the U.S. troops as “paradise operations” and replacing words
Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Mus- such as “terror” and “insurgency” with “resistance” or
lim-Jewish Understanding, cre- “struggle.” It has also served as the mouthpiece for terrorists,
ated to honor his son, the Wall here displaying kidnapped American contract worker Jeffrey
Street Journal reporter kid- Ake for propaganda purposes. Ake has never been found.
napped and beheaded in 2002 by
al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan.22
Since 2007, Pearl has been a
lonely voice on the left warning against Al
Jazeera’s legitimization. “Their unconditional READING BETWEEN
support of Hamas’s terror in Gaza, the Hezbollah THE LINES
takeover in Lebanon, and the Syrian and Iranian
regimes betrays any illusion that democracy and In 2006, months before going on air, Al
human rights are on Al Jazeera’s agenda”—he Jazeera English hired Dave Marash, a former an-
wrote this year—“weakening the West is their chor for NBC Nightline. But just as Marash’s ar-
first priority.”23 rival lent the yet-unborn channel an aura of cred-
March Lynch, a commentator on Arabic me- ibility, his departure two years later cast doubt on
dia, accurately noted, “There has been a switch whether AJE would be willing and able to dis-
on the perception of Al Jazeera Arabic, simply tance itself from its predecessor’s worst practices.
because right now, the U.S. and Al Jazeera Ara- “[T]he channel that’s on now—while excel-
bic are more aligned in backing the democracy lent, and I plan to be a lifetime viewer—is not the
25
movements ... It’s not like Al Jazeera or the U.S. channel that I signed up to do,” Marash said.
have changed that much. The issues have He recalled that after he was moved from anchor
changed.” 24 to reporter, the channel’s roster included not a
single presenter with an American accent—a
choice Marash viewed as deliberate: “I took it
particularly amiss ... that their standard for jour-
19 Aljazeera.net, Aug. 1, 2011.
nalism on Al Jazeera in the United States didn’t
20 Politico, Apr. 17, 2011.
21 Ibid.
22 Daniel Pearl Foundation, accessed Sept. 22, 2011.
23 Pearl, “A statement of observation concerning Al Jazeera.”
25 The New York Times, Mar. 28, 2009.
24 Politico, Apr. 17, 2011.

Kessler: Al Jazeera / 49
 seem consistently to be as good as their stan- ducing news that meets the basic criteria of the
dards elsewhere.”26 journalistic craft. AJE representatives’ failure to
Marash cited a series called Poverty in convincingly explain that discrepancy—their
America to illustrate what he described as AJE’s clumsy attempts to simultaneously tout the two
underlying anti-Americanism. “The specifics of channels’ independence and their “shared vi-
the plan were so stereotypical and shallow that sion”—is cause for concern.
the planning desk in Washington said that we “At the end of the day, we don’t share the
think this is a very bad idea and recommend same editorial policies,” Ayman Mohyeldin, then
against it and won’t do it. And so the planning AJE’s Cairo correspondent, said in February.
desk in Doha literally sneaked a production team “What we do share is the editorial code of ethics
into the United States,” he said. “This series re- and the same editorial vision as the network.”30
ported nothing beyond the stereotype and the “Anyone who works at Al Jazeera English is
mere fact that there were homeless people living convinced that if you watch Al Jazeera English,
on the street in Baltimore ... It was enough for them and if you watch and understand Al Jazeera Ara-
to show poor people living in wretched conditions bic, you will be convinced that the journalism is
in a prosperous American city and decry it.”27 professional, that the quality of work is very high,”
Likewise, Marash said, an item on indigenous said Mohyeldin, who left the network this sum-
Mexicans in Chiapas State blamed their impover- mer for NBC News. “The only problem is that
ishment solely on the North American Free Trade very few people in the United States understand
Agreement, papering over the knottier issues of Al Jazeera Arabic. They buy into a lot of the innu-
race, class, and relations between state and fed- endos. Once they have that sense of fear, they
eral governments in Mexico. “So again, it was use that brush to paint Al Jazeera Arabic and Al
really shoddy reporting,” he said.28 Jazeera English with it.”31
“When you speak to Abderrahim Foukara, the Arabic channel’s
presenters on CNN and Washington bureau chief, told the Council on For-
An Israeli BBC, you’re usually eign Relations,
spokesman said speaking to very serious
people who know the is- The way the truth may be defined in the Arab
that an Al Jazeera sues,” an Israeli spokes- world, and associate it with Al Jazeera, is not
appearance closely person with extensive ex- the way Americans, for example, would define
the truth and associate it with, say, CNN or
resembles an perience with the channel
MSNBC or Fox. … Al Jazeera Arabic, be-
interrogation. told me. “When they ask
cause it is so connected to a turbulent part of
you a tough question, you the world, the tone is different … it’s much
can presume it’s a tough feistier … The broad majority of Arabs iden-
question that’s been thought about. On Al Jazeera tify with the channel, not only in terms of
English, they can ask some tough questions, but it political coverage, but the nuances, the reading
often has the level of a campus debate.”29 between the lines.32

In truth, the bulk of AJA’s content has all the

RIGHT HOOK TO THE JAW nuance of a right hook to the jaw. The non-Ara-
bic speaker is immediately struck by the station’s
Its failings notwithstanding, Al Jazeera En-
glish is leagues ahead of its Arabic analog in pro-

30 Nitasha Tiku, “Q&A with Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera

26 Brent Cunningham, “Dave Marash: Why I Quit,” Columbia English’s Correspondent in Cairo,” New York Magazine, Feb.
Journalism Review, Apr. 4, 2008. 11, 2011.
27 Ibid. 31 Ibid.
28 Ibid. 32 “Al-Jazeera: The World through Arab Eyes,” Council on
Foreign Relations, Washington, D.C., Feb. 17, 2011.
29 Author telephone interview, Sept. 7, 2011.

50 / MIDDLE EAST QUARTERLY WINTER 2012

frenetic tone and imagery, and a viewer with even much less in his or her native language.37 Still,
a moderate command of the language is likely to the scope given to Israeli guests to express them-
be all the more taken aback. selves was, and is, extraordinarily limited. An Is-
raeli spokesman who appears regularly on the
channel said that a typical appearance more
THE FREEST OF SPEECH closely resembles an interrogation than an inter-
view. “We’re never invited to long interview
At its birth, Al Jazeera Arabic had an immedi- shows but always short interviews of three and a
ate and profound effect on Middle Eastern me- half minutes,” he said. “They’re unwilling to en-
dia, ushering in a new form of antiestablishment gage in a real dialogue, and instead use Israelis as
broadcasting in a region long dominated by state fig leaves.”38
propaganda. But while AJA was unusual in re- American contributors often receive similar
porting stories some regimes did not like, it also treatment. A 2007 episode of the flagship talk show
reported them in a way that reinforced rather than The Opposite Direction
undermined the region’s existing system of featured as guests Adam
ideas.33 Ereli, State Department
The language of resistance and martyrdom Al Jazeera’s
spokesman, and Mishan
remains Al Jazeera’s mother tongue. In 2001, while al-Jibouri, who was iden- sectarian
the “second intifada” raged, Fouad Ajami wrote, tified as “head of the Rec- impulse has been
“The channel’s policy was firm: Palestinians onciliation and Liberation moving closer to
who fell to Israeli gunfire were martyrs; Israe- Bloc” in the Iraqi parlia-
lis killed by Palestinians were Israelis killed by garden-variety
ment. When host Faisal
Palestinians.”34 A decade on, little seems to have al-Qassem asked whether Sunni Islamism.
changed—civilians are generally classified as the United States had in-
“martyrs” if killed in Iraq, Gaza, Afghanistan, or vaded Iraq to free its people or its oil, Jibouri
any other Arab or Muslim locale. Elsewhere, responded unchallenged, “It’s not just Iraqi oil;
people killed are people killed.35 it’s all Arab oil. They want to kill off indigenous
Where Al Jazeera differs from state-run me- people and control their wealth.” When Ereli
dia is in its allowance for free speech. AJA mar- begged to differ, the host cut him off: “The U.S. is
kets itself as a forum for the very freest of expres- the biggest supporter of dictatorships. Aren’t you
sion, “inviting anybody to come on the air and ashamed to repeat these lies? Are you against
say anything, often allowing perspectives that dictatorships? The U.S. created them with the CIA
lacked factual basis to go unchallenged,” accord- and all these other people, lying to the world.”39
ing to a recent profile in the American Journal- Qassem neglected to mention that Jibouri
ism Review.36 was a cofounder of al-Zawraa, a now-defunct sat-
Yet even at Al Jazeera, free speech has its ellite station that specialized in gory segments of
red lines. In 1996, it was the first Arabic station insurgent attacks on U.S.-led forces, accompa-
to let Israelis appear as on-air guests, often nied by melodramatic musical scores and running
speaking in Hebrew. Many viewers were stunned, commentary by camouflage-clad anchors vow-
having never before heard an Israeli speak— ing resistance until death.40

33 Barry Rubin, The Tragedy of the Middle East (Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press, 2002), p. 213. 37 Hugh Miles, Al-Jazeera: The Inside Story of the Arab News
Channel That Is Challenging the West (New York: Grove Press,
34 Ajami, “What the Muslim World Is Watching.”
2005), p. 37.
35 See, for example, “Behind the Scenes with Al-Jazeera,”
38 Author telephone interview, Sept. 4, 2011.
Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, New York,
Apr. 15, 2002. 39 Kristen Gillespie, “The New Face of Al Jazeera,” The Nation,
Nov. 26, 2007.
36 Sherry Ricchiardi, “The Al Jazeera Effect,” American Jour-
nalism Review, Mar./Apr. 2011. 40 The Guardian (London), Jan. 15, 2007.

Kessler: Al Jazeera / 51
 any issue, and Arab governments as useless
FROM SECTARIANISM stooges of the United States and Israel.”
TO ISLAMISM In the words of Alberto Fernandez, then-
director for press and public diplomacy in the
Al Jazeera’s detractors have long dismissed State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Af-
the network as a vehicle for Doha’s foreign policy, fairs, “We see the unconditional support of Is-
one driven by Sunni sectarianism and an overrid- lamic movements, no matter where they are: Leba-
ing antagonism toward Iran.41 Voices critical of non, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan. … How things
Qatar’s government—the “worst in the region” are covered, the prominence of things, what
in tracking terrorist financing, according to U.S. words are used—sometimes you do see that very
diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks42— clear Islamist subtext.”46
are nonexistent in En- In 2002, Al Jazeera Arabic promoted Wadah
glish or Arabic.43 In 2011, Khanfar—a reporter from the West Bank town
Former employees both channels provided of Jenin widely believed to have close Muslim
described only scant coverage of Brotherhood ties47—from Iraq bureau chief to
the uprising in neighbor- managing director. Three years later Khanfar was
Al Jazeera’s promoted to director general of the overall Al
ing Bahrain—where a
director general downtrodden Shiite ma- Jazeera network, overseeing both language chan-
as an Islamist. jority demanded greater nels. On both occasions, he replaced relatively
rights in the Sunni-led secular-minded journalists.
kingdom44—and were Gillespie spoke with nine active and former
slow to cede airtime to the rebellion in Syria—a employees who described Khanfar as an Islamist.
leader of the “resistance bloc” against the United “Everyone is complaining about the new trend
States and Israel even if it is allied with the Shiite now—that the liberals, the secular types, the Arab
hegemon in Tehran.45 nationalists are getting downsized, and the Islamic
Over the past decade, however, Al Jazeera’s position is dominating the newsroom,” said a
sectarian impulse has been moving ever closer to former Baghdad correspondent. “From the first
garden-variety Sunni Islamism, a shift dramatic day of the Wadah Khanfar era, there was a dra-
enough to catch the attention even of the liberal matic change, especially because of him selecting
bulwark The Nation. In 2007, the weekly’s Kristen assistants who are hard-line Islamists,” added
Gillespie wrote that 9/11 “brought a new anti-im- AJA’s former Washington bureau chief Hafez al-
perialist and, many argue, a pro-Sunni Islamist bent Mirazi, who resigned a year after Khanfar’s arrival
to the network ... The field reports are overwhelm- to protest the station’s “Islamist drift.”48
ingly negative with violent footage played over For his part, Khanfar has dismissed the idea
and over, highlighting Arab defeat and humilia- that his perspective was in any way at odds
tion. And there’s a clear underlying message: that with those of the channel’s viewers. “Islam is
the way out of this spiral is political Islam.” more of a factor now in the influential political
“[I]t doesn’t take much viewing of the chan- and social spheres of the Arab world, and the
nel to discern a dual message,” Gillespie wrote.
“Sunni religious figures are almost always treated
deferentially as voices of authority on almost
46 Gillespie, “The New Face of Al Jazeera.”
47 Marc Lynch, “Al-Jazeera challenges: Pass the salt,” Abu
Aardvark, June 29, 2007. Lynch describes Khanfar as having
41 Ricchiardi, “The Al Jazeera Effect”; The New York Times, “always been seen as pro-Islamist.”
Jan. 30, 2005. 48 Gillespie, “The New Face of Al Jazeera”; Riadh Ferjani,
42 Financial Times (London), Dec. 5, 2010. “Religion and Television in the Arab World,” Middle East
43 The New York Times, Jan. 30, 2005. Journal of Culture and Communication, no. 1, 2010, pp. 82-
100. For more on Khanfar’s alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties
44 Time, May 24, 2011. see “Analysis: Al Jazeera General Manager and His Muslim
45 Michael Young, “The shameful Arab silence on Syria,” The Brotherhood/Hamas Background,” The Global Muslim Broth-
Daily Star (Beirut), Apr. 7, 2011. erhood Daily Report, Jan. 15, 2009.

52 / MIDDLE EAST QUARTERLY WINTER 2012

network’s coverage reflects that,” he
said. “Maybe you have more Islamic
voices [on AJA] because of the po-
litical reality on the ground.”49 Judea
Pearl put the channel’s agenda more
plainly: “I have no doubt that, today,
Al Jazeera is the most powerful voice
of the Muslim Brotherhood.”50
The Obama State Department
overturned the Bush administration’s
refusal to grant Khanfar a visa, and in
2009, he met with State, Pentagon, and
White House officials before embark-
ing on a speaking tour that included
the New America Foundation, Coun-
cil on Foreign Relations, and Middle If there was any doubt about Al Jazeera’s sympathies
East Institute.51 and lack of neutrality, it was effectively laid to rest with
Khanfar resigned as director gen- the channel’s coverage of the release of Samir Kuntar.
eral in September of this year,52 follow- Kuntar had savagely murdered two Israelis in 1979,
ing the release of WikiLeaks cables including a 4-year old girl, and had been jailed in Israel
showing he had met with U.S. officials since then. On his 2008 release in an Israel-Hezbollah
and agreed to tone down Iraq war cov- deal, Al Jazeera Arabic threw him a party: “Brother
erage Washington deemed inflamma- Samir, we wish to celebrate your birthday with you,”
tory.53 The choice of Khanfar’s replace- crowed the station’s Beirut bureau chief, hailing Kuntar
ment—an oil executive who belongs as a “pan-Arab hero.”
to the ruling al-Thani dynasty—is yet
another sign that despite U.S. pressure
to privatize,54 Qatar intends to keep Al
Jazeera a wholly-owned family business. pro-Hamas,” the Israeli spokesman said.55 The
New York Times—which has pushed for AJE’s
inclusion on U.S. cable56—has conceded that
THE PALESTINIAN there is “little doubt” the Arabic channel por-
STREET trays Hamas more favorably than its rivals.57
Polls show a remarkable 53 percent of Pales-
Given its Islamist sympathies, it is tinians use Al Jazeera as their primary news source
unsurprising that the network sides heavily with with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya a distant second at
Hamas in its rivalry with the Fatah-led Palestin- 13 percent. The way AJA covers any prospective
ian Authority (PA). “In Arabic, it’s unmistak- Israeli-Palestinian agreement will fundamentally
able—Al Jazeera is not just pro-Palestinian, but shape how such a deal is viewed—and whether it
is accepted—by the Palestinian public.58
When in 2009 Mahmoud Abbas agreed to
49 Gillespie, “The New Face of Al Jazeera.” defer a U.N. Human Rights Council discussion
50 Pearl, “A statement of observation concerning Al Jazeera.”
51 Steve Clemons, “Wadah Khanfar: Pushing Reset on
America’s Relationship with Al Jazeera and the Arab World,”
Washington Note, July 25, 2009. 55 Author telephone interview, Sept. 4, 2011.
52 The New York Times, Sept. 20, 2011. 56 The New York Times, Feb. 1, 2011.
53 “9/17 Meeting with Al Jazeera Managing Director,” 57 Ibid., Jan. 28, 2011.
WikiLeaks, posted Aug. 30, 2011; “PAO Meeting with Al Jazeera 58 Noah Bonsey and Jeb Koogler, “Does the Path to Middle
Managing Director,” WikiLeaks, posted Aug. 30, 2011. East Peace Stop in Doha?” Columbia Journalism Review, Feb.
54 The Washington Post, Jan. 31, 2005. 16, 2010.

Kessler: Al Jazeera / 53
 of the notorious Goldstone report on that year’s jihadist, and guerrilla gamut blamed Jews for the
Gaza offensive, Al Jazeera censured the PA presi- attacks and urged the United States to “get rid”
dent for his “capitulation” to Israeli and Western of its own.62 The summer before, an episode of
demands. The resulting public outcry nearly re- The Opposite Direction was dedicated to the
sulted in Abbas’s resignation.59 question, “Is Zionism Worse than Nazism?” Of
Early this year, the the 12,000 viewers who called in, 85 percent an-
network published the swered in the affirmative, 11 percent saw both as
On Al Jazeera “Palestine Papers”—a equally bad, and 2.7 percent ventured that Na-
Arabic, leak of 1,700 files encom- zism was worse.63
anti-Israel passing a decade’s worth Yusuf al-Qaradawi, host of Al Jazeera’s most
of Israeli-Palestinian ne- popular program, Shari‘a and Life, regularly
sentiment bleeds gotiations—prompting froths about the insidious character of Shiites,
indistinguishably commentators across the Americans, and especially Jews.64 “Oh Allah, take
into anti- Arab world to denounce this oppressive, Jewish, Zionist band of people.
Semitism. the PA leadership for Oh Allah, do not spare a single one of them. Oh
supposedly agreeing to Allah, count their numbers, and kill them, down
wide-ranging conces- to the very last one,” he said on air in 2009.65
sions toward Israel. “The fact is that Al Jazeera Elsewhere, Qaradawi praised Hitler’s treatment of
has never done the same against Hamas, and that the Jews (“even though they exaggerated the is-
Hamas has never complained about Al Jazeera’s sue”) but stressed the führer’s regret at not fin-
coverage,” the Israeli spokesman said. “It’s al- ishing the job.66
ways the Palestinian Authority that complains.”60

THE KUNTAR AFFAIR

ANTI-SEMITIC,
If there was a single incident that exemplified
ANTI-ISRAEL the worst of Al Jazeera, it was the Samir Kuntar
On Al Jazeera Arabic, anti-Israel sentiment affair—an appalling low for the network in both
tends to bleed indistinguishably into anti- languages.
Semitism. Erik Nisbet, a scholar of Arabic media at In April 1979, a 16-year-old Kuntar left his
Ohio State University, said the channel’s treat- native Lebanon with three Palestine Liberation
ment of extremists would be roughly akin to a Front comrades for a kidnap attempt in Nahariya,
U.S. network giving airtime to the Ku Klux Klan. northern Israel. Arriving by boat, they killed a
American channels, he said, “would report on policeman before breaking into a randomly cho-
them, but they are not going to do in-depth inter- sen home. Kuntar took 31-year-old Danny Haran
views or invite them to be on mainstream talk and his 4-year-old daughter Einat hostage, then
shows, and let them say anything they want, but brought them to the seashore to take them to Leba-
Al Jazeera does.” According to Nisbet, there is
“no doubt” that anti-Semitism is woven into the
very fabric of AJA’s reporting.61 62 “Requests to add Al Jazeera to the lists of eligible satellite
services for distribution on a digital basis,” Canadian Radio-
After 9/11, AJA presenters repeated, unchal- Television and Telecommunications Commission, July 15, 2004.
lenged, a report that Jews had been tipped off not 63 “Zionism and Nazism: A Discussion on the TV Channel Al-
to report to work at the World Trade Center that Jazeera,” Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), June
7, 2001, quoted in Rubin, The Tragedy of the Middle East, p.
morning. Contributors running the clerical, 213.
64 Lee Smith, The Strong Horse: Power, Politics and the Clash
of Arab Civilizations (New York: Anchor Books, 2010), p. 129.
65 “Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi on Al-Jazeera Incites against
59 Ibid. Jews, Arab Regimes, and the U.S.,” MEMRI, Jan. 12, 2009.
60 Ibid. 66 “Al-Qaradawi Praising Hitler’s Anti-Semitism,” MEMRI,
61 Ricchiardi, “The Al Jazeera Effect.” on YouTube, Feb. 10, 2009.

54 / MIDDLE EAST QUARTERLY WINTER 2012

non. As a firefight erupted with Israeli troops “The gentleman involved was fully repri-
and police, Kuntar shot Haran dead before his manded, and he no longer works for us,” Al Jazeera
daughter’s eyes (drowning him in the sea for English managing director Al Anstey said this
good measure) before ending the girl’s life by summer. “Clearly, that was taken very seriously.
bashing her head against beach rocks, then That is not the channel I run. I would not have
smashing it with his rifle butt. An Israeli court run that … Action was taken immediately after
also found Kuntar guilty of indirectly causing the show was aired.”72
the death of Einat’s 2-year-old sister Yael, who It is unclear which “gentleman” received the
suffocated during the kidnap attempt as her reprimand. Ben Jeddo stayed on as Beirut bureau
mother, hiding in a bedroom crawlspace, des- chief until this year when he resigned to protest
perately covered her mouth.67 the network’s hard-hitting if belated coverage of
Sentenced to four life sentences, Kuntar the Syrian crackdown. “The channel ended a
never expressed remorse for his deeds, insist- dream of objectivity and professionalism after Al
ing for decades that he had urged Danny Haran Jazeera stopped being a media source and be-
to leave Einat at home, and that once at the came an operations room for incitement and mo-
beach, the girl died by Israeli fire (the first claim bilization,” he wrote in his resignation letter with
defies credulity; the second was refuted by apparent seriousness.73
photographs that later emerged and unanimous In English, Al Jazeera’s coverage of the event
eyewitness testimony).68 was only marginally bet-
When in July 2008, four days before his forty- ter. In the lead-up to
sixth birthday, Kuntar was released in an Israel- Kuntar’s release, AJE aired The AJA website
Hezbollah deal, Al Jazeera Arabic threw him a a segment from his home
featured a map
party. “Brother Samir, we wish to celebrate your village of Abieh in which
birthday with you,” said Ghassan Ben Jeddo, the reporter Zeina Khodr de- of the Middle
station’s Beirut bureau chief, playing master of scribed Nahariya, a city East and North
ceremonies. “You deserve even more than this,” within Israel’s sovereign Africa with every
he said, hailing Kuntar—pudgy and bemused in borders, as a “settlement.”
country marked
a mock military uniform—as a “pan-Arab hero.”69 After introducing Kuntar
While a live band tooted a martial medley, by his full name, she except Israel.
food servers rolled out a cake adorned with im- named him seven times by
ages of terrorist leaders including Hezbollah’s his first name and not once by his last. Nowhere
Hassan Nasrallah. Handing Kuntar a scimitar to did she mention the brutality with which Kuntar’s
cut a piece, Ben Jeddo gushed, “This is the sword victims were murdered.74
of the Arabs, Samir.”70 On Kuntar’s release, Lebanon-based reporter
Israel threatened to boycott the channel un- Rula Amin effused that “in his hometown, Samir
less it apologized, and AJA’s director general Kuntar is received as a freedom fighter, and he
penned a letter admitting “elements of the pro- was received with a festive ceremony. A hero, even
gram violated Al Jazeera’s code of ethics” and to those who were not even born when he went
saying he had ordered steps be taken to ensure a to prison.” Amin apparently found it more remark-
similar incident was not repeated. AJA’s deputy able that Kuntar’s admirers included young
editor later clarified that the channel had not ac-
tually apologized.71
71 “Al-Jazeera Deputy Editor: We Didn’t Apologize for Kuntar
Festivities,” MEMRI, accessed Aug. 27, 2011.
72 The Jewish Week (New York), Aug. 9, 2011.
67 The Jerusalem Post, June 16, 2008. 73 Ghassan ben Jeddo, Facebook page, accessed Sept. 22, 2011;
68 The New York Times, July 7, 2005. “Why Did Ghassan Ben Jeddo Resign from Aljazeera?” Beirut
69 “Al Jazeera Throws Party for Child Killer (Samir Kuntar),” Spring blog, Apr. 23, 2011.
MEMRI, on YouTube, Aug. 22, 2008. 74 “Samir Kantar’s family awaits his return,” Al Jazeera English,
70 Ibid. on YouTube, July 15, 2008.

Kessler: Al Jazeera / 55
people than that an entire village, country, and East and North Africa with every country marked
region should lionize a child murderer. except Israel. The Green Line demarcating Israel
“A display of unity in Abieh,” she concluded, and the West Bank appeared, but beside it was
“may be the start of reconciliation between the single word “Palestine.”81
Hezbollah and Walid Jumblatt,” the Lebanese
Druze leader. As Amin would have it, the crux of
the story is not the inverted morals of Kuntar’s HOPES DASHED,
reception but the prospect of that reception serv- WINDOWS SMASHED
ing as a catalyst for Lebanese reconciliation.75
Only one AJE segment—by Sky News veteran Four years ago, Judea Pearl expressed hope
David Chater—included an explicit account of that Al Jazeera might “learn to harness its popu-
Kuntar’s actions.76 larity in the service of humanity, progress, and
“Al Jazeera English has hired some very moderation.”82 At that time many analysts be-
good people, but they’ve also got people who I lieved the network represented democracy in its
don’t think would be hired by other serious me- infancy, and “you don’t slap an infant on the wrist
dia outlets,” said one Israeli spokesperson. “Some before it learns to stand on its feet.”83
really try to be professional in a journalistic sense “In 2007, I was still hoping that Al Jazeera will
and tell the story fairly. Others are ultimately driven become a force for good,” he recalled earlier this
by an agenda, which is, of course, quite hostile to year. “Unfortunately, the opposite has happened.
Israel.”77 Al Jazeera’s popularity and general acceptance in
Perhaps as a result of the Kuntar episode, or the West has emboldened its management to take
as part of its push into America, AJE appears lately an even harder anti-Western stance.”84
to be showing more caution in its coverage of “Today, we have much deeper concerns with
Israel. In July, its Inside Story series devoted a Al Jazeera—it is no longer a clash with journalis-
full half-hour episode to the country’s cost-of- tic standards but a clash with the norms of civi-
living protests78 then did the same a week later lized society,” Pearl wrote. “Our charming infant
with guests including government officials and a is smashing windows now and poisoning pets in
Ha’aretz columnist.79 In August, its Playlist se- the neighborhood—a slap on the wrist is per-
ries rebroadcast an April segment on Middle East- haps way overdue.”85
ern heavy metal bands featuring acts from Iran, As Al Jazeera English expands into the
Dubai, Lebanon—and two from Israel.80 United States, it will need to choose one of three
Hours of watching AJA in July and August options. The first is to continue its present gam-
for this article produced not a single similar hu- bit of declaring a common “vision” with its par-
man-interest story on Israel in Arabic. Instead, ent channel while hoping the latter’s indiscretions
during the months that the Arab revolutions raged, somehow do not reflect poorly on itself. The sec-
the AJA website featured a map of the Middle ond is to pressure that same out-of-control kin to
pull its act together, lest it once again cast doubt
on the character of both. Failing that, Al Jazeera
English will have but one alternative: to categori-
75 “Samir Kuntar returns home,” Al Jazeera English, on YouTube, cally and unequivocally cut its own cord.
July 17, 2008.
76 “Israel’s deal with Hezbollah,” Al Jazeera English, on
YouTube, June 29, 2008.
77 Author telephone interview, Sept. 7, 2011.
81 Aljazeera.net, accessed Aug. and Sept. 2011.
78 “Has the Arab Spring arrived in Israel?” Al Jazeera English,
Aug. 1, 2011. 82 Pearl, “Another perspective, or jihad TV?”
79 “In Israel, ‘It’s the economy, stupid,’” Al Jazeera English, 83 Judea Pearl, “Al-Jazeera and the Glorification of Barbarity,”
Aug. 8, 2011. The Jewish Journal, Aug. 20, 2008.
80 Rebroadcast of “Rocking the System,” Al Jazeera English, 84 Pearl, “A statement of observation concerning Al Jazeera.”
Apr. 20, 2009 segment. 85 Pearl, “Al-Jazeera and the Glorification of Barbarity.”

56 / MIDDLE EAST QUARTERLY WINTER 2012