In the United States and Western Europe, the intellectual and political debate concerning the Middle East has been for decades dominated by pro-Israeli voices.

Western media was almost a complete duplicate of Israeli media, and state officials in various countries adopted the exact same role of Israeli government spokespersons. Until today, this unfortunate state of affairs remains the same. But need I say, things are changing.

The dominance of the Israeli viewpoint in the West had little to do with the correctness of that view, but the lack of an alternative. The world would have continued to believe that the earth was flat if it was not for a courageous man who openly defied the traditional interpretation of astronomy, declaring that the earth was round. Those who truly understood the reality of the Middle East conflict and indeed possessed the courage of Galileo were denied the platform of expressing their viewpoints. Those who sought alternative means to express their views were dismissed by the mainstream media, labeled, and often sued and defamed.

Not as the tides have turned all the way around, but in fact the Palestinian and pro-Palestinian viewpoint has been more audible than ever. Thanks to the Internet, a letter to the editor of the New York Times that would often be trashed for criticising US foreign policy in the Middle East, can find many alternative homes, and could still manage to reach thousands of people.

The Internet has indeed brought valuable change to the Middle East debate, raised awareness of issues that CNN could care less about and ABC would never feature at its primetime, not for a million years.

Wave of the future

True, CNN is still a giant even on the World Wide Web, with millions of unique visitors every day. ABC too and all other major television networks that deliberately overlook the plight of the Palestinians and compete to appease the Israeli government, its pro-Israeli investors, needy lobbyists and politicians, are still there, as powerful and overreaching as ever.

But while independent, serious alternative media on US television barely exists, CNN and other news networks, whose editorial line might contrast on many issues but, always meet in their pro-Israeli stances, are no longer the only ones heard.

There are many more, big and small, in English, German or Arabic. Al Jazeera airs live on the net, and BBC 's footage of the West Bank's Jenin market killings of Palestinian children by Israeli tanks last June traveled faster than light, through news groups, hyperlinks and list serves. Everyone, with access to the web, has her or his say, no matter how far, no matter how peculiar.

In the world of journalism, a debate is also underway, pondering the pros and cons of online journalism, of the reliability of information dispersed through the web. The debate is likely to settle down once those doubtful of the new technology realise that the World Wide Web is the wave of the future, meaning that it's the responsibility of the traditional media to accustom itself to the new reality.

Meanwhile, the Internet is growing (70,000 new users every single day), and the trust of the Internet is also growing. Of course, anyone with basic knowledge of HTML can falsify facts and dump them on the Net. True.

But from a Palestinian viewpoint, such falsifying and dumping has been taking place for decades throughout the widely circulated media networks. It's the reader who now decides where the truth lies, at CNN or AntiWar.com , at ABC or Al Jazeera . This is what journalism was meant to be, balance.

Troubled by rational voices

But Israel hates balance. If it doesn't, it wouldn't defame intellectuals who oppose its policies; it would not resort to blackmailing, endlessly accusing its critics of anti-Semitism.

Equally, Israel is concerned about the Internet, its global accessibility and wide growth. It's constantly muttering its bad luck, warning of the spread of anti-Semitism, Islamic fundamentalism and more, because of the new technology.

Although there are groups who promote hate on the Net, Israelis are fully aware that such groups, with limited fans and small reach are not its real concern. Israel is mostly troubled by the rational voices, those of Palestinians and pro-Palestinians around the world, with a message of peace and justice, those who are using this medium to spread their views and to counter the falsifications of the Israeli government.

How annoying it must be for the Israeli army to make a claim regarding the killing of a Palestinian 'militant' in some forsaken village in the West Bank, to realise that a group of internationals was in fact at the scene and able to realise that the "militant" was a father who was killed in his home, among his family. A short message, sent via slow connection somewhere in Ramallah, can reach thousands of people all over the world in minutes, refuting the Israeli claims.

Israel's attack on the Palestinian Service Provide of Palestine, Palnet in Ramallah last July, the arrest of six staff workers who worked in Palnet' offices, and its intention to deport one of them is only a reflection of that frustration that the Israeli government must feel.

A matter of time

The problem however is that the World Wide Web is not occupied territories, cannot be sealed by Israeli tanks and its Internet providers cannot easily be arrested or deported. It's an open medium, and its growth is only a promise for the Palestinians and their supporters that their message is finally getting thought, despite the ADL's constant efforts to censor the Internet, and despite Israel's fussing and complaining.

Palestinians, their supporters and all of the voices that were for too long suppressed, must learn how to efficiently use the Internet, how to persistently deliver their just cause to the world, how to influence the media, how to work in groups for a common cause, how not to be intimidated, how to refrain from using tactics often used by pro-Israelis such as spamming and hacking, how to foresee the potential of the Internet and its spacious future.

The intellectual and political debate concerning the Middle East is still dominated by Israel, for the traditional media is still in charge, despite the fast growth of the Internet. But if those representing just causes, the cause of Palestine and any other learn how to take advantage of the great new reality, it should be the matter of time before the tide is completely turned. — GVNN/Palestine Chronicle

2 DAYS TO GO!

On Thursday, Aug 15, Malaysiakini's news section will no longer be free. Don't miss out on the country's only independent news. Subscribe NOW! Click here .