CTV National News: Lloyd Robertson/Scott Laurie "On the shark attacks in Egypt" (7/12/2010) "A popular vacation destination in Egypt, known for its diving and water sports, is completely shutdown. Five tourists were attacked by a shark in less than a week, off the shores of Sharm El Sheikh…. from an Egyptian official — Eid — Israeli officials planted the sharks to trip up Egyptian tourism.” Watch clipContact CTV
Canada AM: Dave Salmoni, predator expert on "Egypt shark attacks" (8/12/2010) "Discovery Channel’s predator expert weighs in on a real-life Jaws scenario that has left one tourist dead and four badly mauled at an Egyptian resort. He explains how while they are very rare, shark attacks do happen in spikes that generally occur every five to seven years." Watch clip
National Post: Howard C. Tenenbaum (letter to the editor) "Zionism, with bite" (8/12/2010) "I cannot believe that the Egyptian leadership is so bereft of common sense that they’d actually blame Israel for the recent shark attacks at Sharm (which is also visited by Israelis). This accusation is incredibly, well, dumb. But worse, I fear that there are those who believe this accusation. The Egyptians should be more concerned about the Egyptian Brotherhood, a terrorist organization that has already carried out deadly attacks on Egyptian tourist sites. In addition, I have it on good authority that due to financial cutbacks at the Mossad, it could not possibly have orchestrated the shark attacks as it can only work on single projects and it is currently involved in creating a tsunami in the Red Sea that is supposed to hit anytime soon."
National Post: Eytan Dishy (letter to the editor) "Zionism, with bite" (8/12/2010) "While government spokesman Ahmed el-Edkawi was close in his assumption that the Mossad planted the shark in Egyptian waters, he was slightly off the mark. For where would the Mossad have the cash to purchase said terror of the seas? The only logical conclusion is that the rich Jewish American lobby organized the capture and release of this tourist-biter, all in the name of Zionism. Jeeze, Egypt is getting so clumsy …."
Globe and Mail: Michael Bell: "The prisoners of Egyptian tradition" (8/12/2010) "Sunday’s runoff election for the Egyptian parliament was farcical. The two main opposition groups boycotted the process after the first round a week earlier, leaving the National Democratic Party of aging President Hosni Mubarak in full control of the People’s Assembly. Mr. Mubarak took no chances that views contrary to his own might be voiced, let alone that they might prevail. Government candidates won 95 per cent of parliament’s seats" Send a letter to the editorSubmit online comment
Today’s News and Views About Israel & Mideast
Vancouver Courier: Mark Hasiuk: "A Christmas gift list for Vancouver’s naughty and nice" (8/12/2010) "A history book: for the University of British Columbia’s student-run Israel Awareness Club (IAC), which tried to block a $700 donation to the Canadian Boat to Gaza, an aid flotilla aimed at the Gaza Strip. Occupied by Israel since 1967, Gaza, a 146-square-mile strip along Israel’s southwestern flank, is home to 1.5 million Palestinians. Israel invaded two years ago this month, killing 1,400 men, women and children. Gazans live in virtual bondage, plagued by mass unemployment, a collapsed economy and inadequate water/sewage systems. The students of IAC launched a campaign online and on campus, falsely tying the $700—and UBC’s Social Justice Centre, which donated the money—to Hamas, the militant governors of Gaza. Last Wednesday, UBC student council approved the $700 donation. Repairs to student relations are pending." Send a letter to the editor
National Post: via NYT/AFP: "U.S. ends push for freeze on settlements" (8/12/2010) "After three weeks of fruitless haggling with the Israeli government, the Obama administration has given up its effort to persuade Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to renew an expired freeze on the construction of Jewish settlements for 90 days, two senior officials said Tuesday." Send a letter to the editor
24 Hours: Reuters: "Powers agree to meet again" (8/12/2010) "An agreement to hold more talks in the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program was probably the best result major powers could have hoped for in their first meeting with the Islamic Republic in more than a year." See also: National Post
National Post: Michael Ross (letter to the editor) "Defining terrorism" (8/12/2010) "Letter-writer Luke Pullen equates the killing of Iranian nuclear scientists to terror attacks. Like Mr. Pullen, I have no doubt that these gentleman only saw themselves as dedicated scientists much like the fellow who kept the trains running on time to Auschwitz only saw himself as a dedicated train-scheduler. While Mr. Jonas’s writing style often lends itself to the sardonic, I sincerely doubt anyone could credibly accuse him of reducing Middle East geopolitics — as valid as this position would be — to the West versus the seemingly inexhaustible supply of Asian despots. Like Mr. Jonas however, I would argue that much of what is wrong in the region can be reduced to the insistence that metaethical moral relativism be injected into every conflict by patronizing Westerners. Equating Iranian state-sponsored terrorism and its aggressive nuclear ambitions with our efforts to robustly counter it, is about as disingenuous an example of this mind set as one can find."
Vancouver Province: Reuters: "On the move again" (8/12/2010) "Israeli President Shimon Peres (right) meets B.C. wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen at Peres’s residence in Jerusalem on Tuesday. Hansen is visiting Israel as part of the 25th-anniversary celebrations for his Man In Motion tour that took place in 1985 to raise funds for spinal cord injury research." Send a letter to the editor
National Post Full Comment: Barbara Kay: "Female justice and the Iranian male" (7/12/2010) "The plight of Sakineh Mohammed Ashtiani, an Iranian woman sentenced two years ago to death by stoning, provoked such a firestorm of international outrage that her stoning was deferred. It is possible that she will be executed in some other way, or even stoned when attention dies down, but the very idea that state-sanctioned stoning still exists as a form of capital punishment became the theme of many an opinion piece in the West." Submit online comment
Mike is the Executive Director of HonestReporting Canada and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organization, its financial management and project development. A seventeen-year veteran of the Canadian journalism industry, Mike was a former editor-in-chief, reporter, and anchor of various news programs and publications. Mike's focus is on delivering efficiency and professionalism as HRC moves into new technological and geographical spheres. Mike is a human rights expert and a frequent on-air commentator. His work has been published in the Globe and Mail, the National Post, Toronto Star, CBC News and more.
