[Editor's note: Paul Lungen is a former Winnipegger]
TORONTO — The CBC is being accused of “journalistic malpractice” for airing a radio program that discussed the demise of the State of Israel without offering a rebuttal.
The program, title “One-State Solution,” ran on CBC Radio’s popular The Current morning show last week. It featured an Israeli guest and a Palestinian guest who discussed the merits of replacing Israel with a single country that would encompass Jews and Arabs.
The speakers, Israeli author Daniel Gavron and Palestinian activist Ali Abunimah, argued such an outcome is all but assured since a two-state solution – the position of the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and the international community – is not going to happen.
They called for a single democratic state, while Abunimah, co-founder of the Electronic Intifada, said such a state would have to offer restitution to Palestinians in much the same way post-apartheid South Africa did.
The premise of the program is “outrageous” and violates the CBC’s own guidelines when airing controversial subjects, said Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).