After four years as chief of the Toronto Star?s Middle East Bureau, Mitch Potter reflects on the changes he has witnessed in the region?s political, religious and social structures.
Headlines and Deadlines broke the news a month ago, that he was off to the Star’s London bureau to be replaced by Oakland Ross in Jerusalem.
In a final 3-part series, Potter:
1) Gauges change and progress in the Israeli-Palestinian sphere
2) Examines the effect of internet technology on Arab societies
3) Analyzes political Islam at a glance
Choice quotes include:
"Legitimate change is taking place in Israeli-Palestinian relations, but at a grim, glacial pace"
When describing why Palestinians voted for Hamas instead of Fatah in elections last year:
"Rather than a referendum of peace versus war, it was a contest of clean versus dirty."