Meet the Foreign Press

By Ksenia Svetlova

During operation Cast Lead, when Israeli and foreign journalists were groaning together on the border between Gaza and Israel, frustrated about not being able to get inside, a veteran foreign  journalist, who has been working in the region for more then 20 years told me laughingly that during the years of peace process his bureau almost closed down. “Back then everybody was really concerned for their work places. It seemed that peace is just around the corner, and when it will happen, the foreign journalists will be no longer needed. We thought that in no time we would have to leave or concentrate on trans-border tomato growing” he said. Well, unfortunately that scenario didn’t materialize as planned, and the foreign journalists stayed right where they were: skipping between Jerusalem and Ramallah, Gaza and Jenin, reporting about the new victims and old politicians, covering funerals, elections and inaugurations. The intifada was followed disengagement in Gaza (2005), elections in PA(2006),  war in Lebanon (2006), coup d’etate in Gaza (2007), operation Cast Lead (2009) and this is just partial list of important and unforgettable events that made huge headlines all over the world. Yet lately it seems that foreign journalists in Israel experience “dry season” all over again. Although the situation here is far from being perfectly calm, the daily routine of Qassam here and there, Gaza shelling once in a while, sporadic arrests in West Bank and ongoing FATAH-HAMAS bash doesn’t seem to be enough to provide high-profile stories and headlines. Three foreign correspondents:  Claudio Pagliara who works for Italian RAI, Sergey Pashkov – the Middle East bureau chief of Russian governmental broadcast corporation  and Richard Schneider, German ARD bureau chief   agreed to share their experiences of the years spent in Israel, and reflections on the current situation..

Q.What is the special significance of being a foreign journalist in the Middle East particularly today? Especially in the age of citizen reporters and social networks?

Claudio Pagliara 

I’m a Middle East foreign correspondent for Italian network RAI, based in Jerusalem. Middle East is very relevant important for a country like Italy who sent me here. Everything that happens here effects the  global stability, especially since  many  issues that traditionally were associated with the Middle East became very important for us at home. For example, in Italy now we are also dealing with radical Islam. We talk about this phenomenon which is now a domestic problem for Italy, we’d like to understand how our country is  affected by it, how can we deal with polygamy, covered women etc.

Sergey Pashkov

I live here since late summer of 2003 when we re-established our bureau in Jerusalem. Back then our administration rightly assumed that Israel will continue to be a hub for many significant events, so there was a need for local bureau.  When I came to Israel, I travelled to Tel Aviv where our previous office was located, then I went to Jerusalem and immediately made up my mind. I thought then and I think now that Jerusalem is  the perfect place for a foreign journalist, due to it close proximity to Knesset, Ramallah and the central part of Israel. During the intifada the proximity to PA was especially important. Of course, you can also get all the important information without leaving Moscow through news agency. But our work is different. We bring exclusive stories and unique footage, and for that you need personal contacts, you need to live and create here.

Richard Schneider

I’ve been working here since 2006. I’ve been to Israel before, but as a visiting reporter, who travelled all around the world. Now I’m based here, and I don’t travel as much, but still it is a very dynamic experience. You know that anything can happen very quickly, anything can explode anytime and you have to be ready when it happens.

Q. After so many years of ongoing conflict in the Middle East, is there still a need for news flow from here at your end?

Claudio Pagliara

I do feel that people at home are tired of the usual political stories, so now we are concentrating on human stories. Here, in Israel and PA  a journalist can easily locate hundreds of those. Israeli society is extremely rich and diverse, and so is the Palestinian society where people are very resourceful and creative. The last story I worked on in Gaza is fascinating. A few young fellows managed to establish a successful ringtone production company which they run from their basement in one the houses in Gaza, and recently they got a big contract with one of the major telephone companies to provide them Arabic and English ringtones. I feel that sometimes I break stereotypes, for example when I report about a book of Amos Oz that is being translated into Arabic, and that significant change that the West bank is going through today.

Richard Schneider

We have the same situation in Germany. Currently we are hardly doing any news, mostly magazine stories. We produce 6-9 documentaries each year and we are focusing on in depth stories, and also with stories that don’t have to do with conflict.

Sergey Pashkov

Today if you want  to reach out to people and interest them with your stories, you need to keep up to very high standards, because they are used to high profile stories by now.  If you are doing a story about Gaza tunnels, you need at least to get inside, if not to cross to another side. Couple of Qassam rockets in the Negev now don’t evoke a great deal interest, since just recently we reported from a real war and news consumers want drama. Nowadays everybody is waiting to see what will happen with Iran and that’s why many bureaus continue to function.

Q. An old joke says that for every two Jews there are at least three opinions. In Israel and PA there are so many narratives, which often contradict with each other. Are you being criticized sometimes for choosing one narrative or version of story over another? Do you believe in absolute objectivity?

 Richard Schneider

Until now no official side ever complained about my work or accused me of anything.  As for the reactions, well usually I get equally  bashed by both sides. And since the bash comes from both sides I feel that I’m doing my work right. During the Cast lead operation we were working 24/7 and reported a lot about the implications of the war. So we got plenty of critical reactions: approximately  48-51% acclamation and criticizing from both sides. Also, I remember very well an incident that took place after I reported on a clash between  settlers and Palestinians from a neighboring village. Following the broadcast I got an angry mail from a European Jew who wrote to me that I behave like the  spokesman of the Palestinian. Soon another viewer, an Arab, blamed me for my “overt  sympathies “ to the Jews. So what I did is, I sent to each of these guys another letter (without names and email addresses, of course).

Sergey Pashkov

Sometimes it’s difficult to escape the temptation to support one side or another to become an active element in this conflict. I suppose  that the balanced  position is a product of experience and age. It does not exclude emotional engagement, yet I believe that reporters should act like doctors who treat everybody.

I remember that during operation Cast Lead I was cursed by both sides, and I can’t say that I was surprised by that. Once I reported on a family in Gaza that lost 16 of it members in a few seconds: their house was heavily shelled by Israeli aviation.  I went inside and I saw bleeding people, somebody was holding a baby who lost an eye. The central room that was shelled used to be  a children’s room and I saw the remains of small beds and uniforms…How can you not show that? And then you hear the reactions on the Israeli side “The Kremlin journalist Pashkov and his traditional hatred of Jews” etc. I understand that perhaps the author of these lines for a bit of a moment felt for these kids, and it scared him, so he chose the anger over empathy.

Claudio Pagliara

A reporter might feel close to the people, but he  must always seek the balance. At the same time,  I don’t believe in absolute neutrality in journalism, I don’t believe in not being involved at all. We are human beings, after all. Psychologically  it’s very hard. I remember the first day of my arrival in 19 of August 2003. I just arrived from Paris, and by  8 o’clock in the morning there was a major terrorist attack in Jerusalem, in bus number 2. It is a line which goes through Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem. 25 people were killed. I have all the memories from the site. And of course the funeral afterwards.

Q. Are there any unique difficulties you must contend with professionally working in Israel?

Claudio Pagliara

During  Cast lead operation the reporters were prevented from entering to Gaza all along the war, I believer it was counterproductive decision for Israel, and it was controversial also in Israel. When I entered Gaza, I discovered many facts – I interviewed the human shield – a lady who were inside a building of many floors that was taken by HAMAS to shoot rockets at Israel. Also, I found out that one of the schools that reportedly was shelled by Israel, all the shelling happened outside the building. And all of these things were reported as a fact by some journalists. I believe that the coverage could be more fair. It was very frustrating to be there on the border.

Richard Schneider

The war in Gaza was a very frustrating experience. We have an office in Gaza and while I was on the phone with one of my colleagues, we heard explosions and I was very afraid for them.

Of course, I’m a human being and I accumulate feelings and emotions about things that shock me. I’ve been coming to this region for 20 years now, and it’s hard to see the ongoing conflict, suffering and loss of life.

Sergey Pashkov

It’s not very difficult to work here, but there are some nuances. Psychologically it’s difficult to observe the human suffering, it takes time to get used to the way you are treated in the airport, to the slackitude of the  people who are responsible for relations with the Foreign press. I especially remember the coverage of Makkabiada. It seems to me as exactly the case when the foreign journalist should be informed, yet we weren’t allowed to film the ceremony at the stadium, and we were told that some American Jewish organization was given the filming rights. At the same time, usually when you live in one place long enough and know many people, you can resolve almost all the problems.

Q. After so many years in Israel, do you feel a part of the Israeli landscape ? Do you have a sense of “home away from home” here?

Richard Schneider

I have a very strong personal attachment to Israel as  I live my daily life here and I plan to be here for quite a while. At the same time, I don’t feel that I really belong here. In  fact I don’t think that I belong anywhere. As a child of immigrants, I often feel  that my home is where my friends are.

Claudio Pagliara

Before I came to Israel, I moved a lot. I refer to myself as Ulisses who is always on his way to somewhere. I  like Jerusalem very much and during seven years of my stay here I  learned some Hebrew so I could communicate with my friends and understand better the life around me. When I started  learning Hebrew I also understood more things about the Bible, and it gave me a push. Now I can use Hebrew during interviews and it helps a lot. I believe it’s very important to dedicate time to things like that.

Sergey Pashkov

I became very fond of this land and its people, on both sides of the fence. By now I have a feeling that I know everybody here, as I got in touch with so many people producing different stories on politics, economics, religion, social life etc. My home is Russia, but I feel very at ease here in Israel, perhaps also because so many Israelis speak Russian.