Khaled Abu Toameh, a journalist from a family that is half-Palestinian and half-Israeli, is slated to speak today at the UCLA School of Law about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role of the media in shaping public perception of the situation.
Abu Toameh, who was born in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, is a West Bank and Gaza correspondent for The Jerusalem Post and U.S. News and World Report, and has been covering the violence in the Middle East for the past 24 years.
“A lot of times the speakers that come to campus are skewed to one side,” said David Telfer, a second-year law student and program manager for the UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs, one of the sponsors of the event. “What is unique and special (about) Khaled is that he brings a moderate perspective that I think appeals to a variety of people.”
The event is also sponsored by the Democratic Law Students Association, International Law Society and the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies.
Abu Toameh said he believes his split family, with one Palestinian parent and the other Israeli, gives him a unique perspective.
“I think my background enabled me to see it from a wider perspective and to give a wider picture,” he said.
Despite his personal experiences in the Middle East, Abu Toameh emphasized that his strongest affiliation is as a reporter for the international media.
Abu Toameh said he plans to address freedom of the press and the effect censorship is having on the conflict.
He said the civil unrest impairs the ability of the media to fairly cover the conflict.
“There’s an anarchy. We have too many militias on the streets,” he said. “This is affecting the freedom of the media.”
Commenting on the discrepancy between what is reported in the news and what actually occurs on the ground, Telfer said he believes Abu Toameh can offer his audience a more reliable description of events.
“He can communicate to his audience what’s going on in the street and not necessarily what’s being turned out in the newspapers and the magazines,” Telfer said.
Leeron Morad, president of Bruins for Israel, said he believes Abu Toameh is an important critic of censorship in the Middle East.
“Khaled represents the freedom of the press in Israel,” Morad said.
Abu Toameh also plans to address the election of Hamas into the Palestinian government last year, as well as the recent violence between Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.
Telfer said he believes Abu Toameh’s strength as a speaker lies in his balanced perspective.
“He doesn’t have a political agenda. He represents the average person in the West Bank. It’s important for students to see someone … who has worked on both sides,” Telfer said.
Ruth Zadikany, a second-year law student who is also an editor for the UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs, said Abu Toameh’s background gives him a unique and moderate voice.
“He has a fresh perspective,” she said. “He is unique in that he has worked both in Israel and under the Palestinian Authority.”
Abu Toameh’s appearance at UCLA is part of a larger U.S. speaking tour.