BEYOND FACTIONALISM? CULTURAL AND CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS ON PALESTINIAN SATELLITE TV Mohammed Omer Almoghayer This dissertation is part of the research programme of CERES, Research School for Resource Studies for Development The research was funded by EUR, Rabbani Foundation, Lannan Foundation and Columbia University ________________________________________________ © Mohammed Omer Almoghayer 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author. ISBN 978-90-6490-060-0 BEYOND FACTIONALISM? CULTURAL AND CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS ON PALESTINIAN SATELLITE TV De factiestrijd voorbij? Culturele en kinderprogramma’s op de Palestijnse satelliettelevisie Thesis to obtain the degree of Doctor from the Erasmus University Rotterdam by command of the Rector Magnificus Professor dr H.A.P. Pols and in accordance with the decision of the Doctorate Board The public defence shall be held on 8 July 2016 at 10.00 hrs by Mohammed Omer Almoghayer born in Khan Younies, Palestine Doctoral Committee Promotores Prof.mr.dr. K. Arts Prof.dr. D. Douwes, Erasmus University Rotterdam Other members Prof.dr. N.J. Sakr, University of Westminster Prof.dr. J.W.J. Beentjes, University of Amsterdam Prof.dr M.A.R.M. Salih Co-promotor Dr H.M. Hintjens Contents List of Tables, Figures, Images and Appendices xi Acronyms xiii Acknowledgements xiv Abstract xv INTRODUCING THE RESEARCH 1 1.1 Problem Statement 1 1.2 Justification for the Study 5 1.3 General Background to the Study 10 1.4 Objectives and Key Questions 16 1.5 Factionalism and Defactionalisation of Media 20 1.6 Synthetic Methodologies 24 1.7 Fieldwork amidst Dissonance: practical and ethical considerations 27 1.7.1 Interviews at the PSC 32 1.7.2 Interviews at the ASC 34 1.8 Outline of Chapters 39 A SHORT HISTORY OF MEDIA IN PALESTINE: PERCEPTIONS AND PERSPECTIVES 42 2.1 Introduction 42 2.2 Background: Media under the British Mandate (1920-1948) 43 2.3 Factions without Factionalism 46 2.4 Women’s Voices in the Middle East 49 2.5 Elite Competition, Factionalism and the Arab Revolt 52 2.6 Palestinian Journalism Post-Nakba (1948-67) 54 2.7 Perceptions of the Press under Israeli Occupation 57 vi Contents vii 2.8 New Perspectives on Palestinian Media since 1994 61 2.9 Palestinian TV Becomes (More) Factional 65 2.10 Conclusion 67 TOWARDS AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING FACTIONALISM AND DEFACTIONALISATION IN PALESTINIAN SATELLITE TV 70 3.1 Introduction 70 3.2 Redefining Terms: ‘Factional’ or ‘Partisan’? 71 3.3 Theorising Defactionalisation and ‘Palestinianism’ 77 3.4 Comparing Different Approaches to Analysing Media Content and Production 80 3.4.1 Theorising Media Compromises 80 3.4.2 Theorising ‘Circuits of Media’ 86 3.4.3 Combining ‘Circuits of Media’ and ‘Factors Influencing Media Content’ 94 3.5 Working with the Analytical Framework for Content Analysis 95 3.6 Conclusion 104 THE PALESTINIAN MEDIA’S WORKING ENVIRONMENT 106 4.1 Introduction 106 4.2 The Media Working Environment 107 4.3 Socio-Historical Contexts of Media Production 108 4.4 Media in Palestine: External Constraints 109 4.4.1 Occupation: economic consequences 110 4.4.2 Occupation: arrests and the psychology of fear 112 4.5 Media Producers in Palestine: Local Constraints and Opportunities 116 4.5.1 Professional and ideological pressures 116 4.5.2 Social-cultural and economic pressures 118 4.5.3 Other political pressures 119 4.5.4 Cultural influences 120 4.5.5 Background: codes of conduct for the media 122 4.6 The Security Apparatuses: Realities of Occupation 124 4.7 Financial Restrictions and International Agendas 127 4.8 Beyond the Hamas-Fatah Conflict? 130 viii BEYOND FACTIONALISM IN THE PALESTINIAN MEDIA 4.9 Concluding Remarks 136 CONTEXTUALISING ASC AND PSC CHILDREN’S AND CULTURAL PROGRAMMING AND PRODUCTION 138 5.1 Introduction 138 5.2 PSC: Palestinian Satellite Channel 140 5.2.1 The PLO and the PSC 140 5.2.2 The PSC’s vision 141 5.2.3 Programming at the PSC 142 5.3 ASC: Al Aqsa Satellite Channel 146 5.3.1 Origins and creation of the ASC 146 5.3.2 The ASC’s vision 147 5.3.3 Programming on the ASC 150 5.4 An Overview of Children’s Programmes 152 5.4.1 Structure of the two programmes 153 5.4.2 Comparing context: gender, culture and religion 154 5.5 Comparing Cultural Flashes and Burning Brands 159 5.5.1 Structure of the two cultural programmes 159 5.4.2 The Form of Cultural Flashes, and Burning Brands 164 5.6 Concluding Remarks 169 ‘CIRCUITS OF MEDIA’: ANALYSING THE CONTENT OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMES 170 6.1 Introduction 170 6.2 Themes in PSC’s & ASC’s Children’s Programme Content 172 6.3 Thematic Content of the Children’s Programmes 174 6.3.1 Nationalism and national discourse 174 6.3.2 Religious values 183 6.3.3 Citizens’ rights 185 6.3.4 Resistance and resistance literature 188 6.3.5 Social values 192 6.3.6 Cultural values 195 6.3.7 Political values 196 6.3.8 Educational values 197 6.3.9 Entertainment 200 6.4 Evidence of Defactionalisation of Content 202 6.5 Conclusions 204 Contents ix ANALYSING CONTENT OF ASC’S AND PSC’S CULTURAL PROGRAMMES 206 7.1 Introduction 206 7.2 Introducing themes 206 7.2.1 Nationalism and national discourse 207 7.2.2 Religious values 212 7.2.3 Citizens’ rights and obligations 213 7.2.4 Resistance and resistance literature 214 7.2.5 Social values 217 7.2.6 Cultural values 220 7.2.7 Political values 224 7.2.8 Educational values 229 7.2.9 Entertainment 230 7.3 Overall Thematic Content Analysis of Cultural Programmes 231 7.4 Overall Thematic Content Analysis: Defactionalising Media Content? 234 7.5 Comparing Decision-making and Producers’ Environments across the ASC’s and PSC’s Programming 236 7.6 Comparing Producers’ Environments across the ASC’s and PSC’s Cultural Programming 239 7.7 Conclusion 246 CIRCUITS OF MEDIA TO PALESTINIANISM(S)? 248 8.1 Introduction 248 8.2 Multiple or Singular? Palestinianism(s) 249 8.3 Diversified Palestinianism: Women’s Voices and Gender Issues 251 8.4 Palestinianisms? Religion, Religious Minorities and Voices of Intellectuals 258 8.5 Children’s Voices and Palestinianism 260 8.6 Palestinianism: The Role of ‘Domestic,’ Regional and International Competition 262 8.7 Towards Palestinianism: The Role of New Technologies 267 8.8 A New Sense of ‘Palestinianism’ in the Media? 272 8.9 Palestinianism in the presence of Israel and Western States 274 8.10 Cultural Diversity and Palestinianism 279 8.11 Factionalism Producing Palestinianism(s) 282 x BEYOND FACTIONALISM IN THE PALESTINIAN MEDIA 8.12 Conclusion 283 CONCLUSIONS, PARADOXES, WAYS FORWARD 284 9.1 Overview of the Main Findings 284 9.2 Returning to Theory 289 9.3 Defactionalising the Factions? 292 9.4 Four Puzzles of Media in Palestine: Directions for future research 296 9.5 A Way Forward? Media Codes of Conduct 298 Appendices 306 List of Tables, Figures, Images and Appendices Tables 3.1 Content analysis by theme (all 88 episodes) 102 6.1 Themes in Pioneers of Tomorrow in order of frequency (23 episodes) 6.2 Themes in Sesame Street in order of frequency (23 episodes) 173 7.1 Themes in Burning Brands in order of frequency (21 episodes) 207 7.2 Themes in Cultural Flashes in order of frequency (21 episodes) 207 Figures 1 PSC decision-making process 237 2 ASC decision-making process 237 Images 5.1 Sesame Street (SS07) Seesaws of Kareem 155 5.2 Pioneers of Tomorrow (PoT16) discussing friendship 155 5.3 Amani Abu Hantash (right) and co-host Walid Al Sheikh, Cultural Flashes 160 5.4 The Presenter of Burning Brands, Younies Abu Jarad 160 Appendices 1 Content Analysis Form 306 2 Questions Asked by Researcher to Producers during Fieldwork 307 3 Operational Definitions of Key Themes and Other Terms 309 xi xii BEYOND FACTIONALISM IN THE PALESTINIAN MEDIA 4 List of newspapers published in Palestine 315 5 Palestinian Media Code of Conduct 316 6 Frequency Tables All Programmes 321 7 List of Personal Interviews 339 Acronyms AMIDEAST America-Mideast Educational and Training Services ASC Al Aqsa Satellite Channel BBC British Broadcasting Corporation CNN Cable News Network ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IMF International Monetary Fund MSNBC Microsoft and the National Broadcasting Company PA Palestinian Authority PBC Palestine Broadcasting Corporation PFLP Popular Front for Palestine Liberation PSC Palestine Satellite Channel PTSC Palestine Today Satellite Channel UHF Ultra High Frequency UN United Nations UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency USAID United States Agency for International Development VHF Very High Frequency xiii xiv BEYOND FACTIONALISM IN THE PALESTINIAN MEDIA Acknowledgements This thesis was completed thanks to support from my Promoters and co-promoters: Professor Karin Arts, Professor Dick Douwes and last but not least, Dr Helen Hintjens. At Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, my mentors Professor Rashid Khalidi and Professor Alyssa Solomon, and Professors Tod Gitlin and Herbert Gans, as well as Melanie Huff, the Dean, made my first year eye-opening. Dr Matt Sienkiewicz’s has my profound thanks for insights and encouragements. Thanks to those Norwegian and Dutch diplomats, and to Juman Quneis who brought archive material from the West Bank to Gaza. Dr Nabil Al-Khatib lobbied President Abbas’ office until PSC released programme footage needed for this study. And at PSC, special thanks to Dr Salah Shafi, Ahmad Harb and Imad Al Asfa, and other staff for their insights.