The Canadian Press and Palestine: A Survey, 1939–48

Abstract

SOME the State of Israel and its subsequent acceptance into the family of nations. In Canada, as in other countries, the fact of Israel was accepted and its recognition was called for by the Canadian press. Henceforth, the Palestine problem was to be treated as the Arab-Israeli conflict. Press reaction and comments on the events which led to Israel's establishment varied and at times reflected diametrically opposed viewpoints. Subjective reaction during the period under study was manifested in traditional pro-British sentiment, commiseration for the Jewish plight, anti-Zionist and even antiSemitic expressions. Terrorist activity did much to aggravate the latter feeling. Relatively objective opinion acknowledged Arab and Jewish claims and gave vent to the notion of partition furthered by a necessity for direct United Nations action. The General Assembly's approval of the U.N. Special Committee's partition proposal was generally accepted by the press, although there were lingering doubts as to the United Nations' efficacy in implementation of the plan. Israel's war of independence, in so far as it altered the original political, economic and geographic limitations of the plan, confirmed these doubts. The purpose of this paper will be to examine expressions and opinions in the English and French language press and in certain instances other public opinion media, from the beginning of World War II. Parliamentary opinion is excluded as it will be treated as a separate part of a larger study. The other ethnic and foreign language press in Canada has also been excluded simply because it does not serve a majority of the population. In many cases a number of journals expressed similar opinions ; in this case a random selection was made.