The "Eternal Conflict” or “Eternal Cover-Up” in CBC’s French headlines?
Written by: Alex Tyrrell
As Israel's genocide carries on, Canadians are constantly told by the CBC (our public broadcaster), that this violence is unfortunate but unavoidable, bloody but justified. We are shown images of the accelerated genocide strung together with voiceovers of reporters repeating the key phrase, that Palestinians are supposedly the ones responsible for the American-provided Israeli bombs falling on their homes, schools, hospitals, and universities. We are reminded about the October 7 Al-Aqsa Flood Operation, about the hostages, about how Israel’s violence is supposedly justified. We are only shown images of Palestinians crying about the destruction and are almost never shown things like maps of the ever-expanding colonial empire that is Israel.
To reinforce this feeling of helplessness in their readers, Radio-Canada, the French CBC, came up with a clever way to dash anyone’s hopes of resolving this conflict. Under each and every article about the Middle East for the last few years, they include the subtitle “l'éternel conflit”, “Eternal Conflict” in English. It’s used as a category name that conveniently appears at the top of every single article.
Caption: Two Radio-Canada articles which include the subtitle “l'éternel conflit”, among many others.
The definition of the word “eternal,” according to the dictionary, is "without a beginning or an end," something that has always existed and will never cease to exist. When you think about it, not many things are actually eternal. Even human life on this planet will not be eternal.
How then, can the public broadcaster justify the use of this loaded word in each and every article about Palestine?
In a recent decision by Radio-Canada ombudsman Pierre Champoux, he supported Radio-Canada management’s view that their journalists don’t have to follow the dictionary definition of the word “eternal”, when writing subtitles or within articles. Management says journalists are free to use the word as an “expression,” removing the need to respect the actual definition. In their defence, management gives examples like “the night was never-ending, eternal” to justify writing “eternal conflict” on articles about the UN peace process, the killing of innocent civilians, and the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza. They even used it on articles about South Africa’s case against Israel for genocide at the International Court of Justice.
This is a clear example of anti-Palestinian bias at the public broadcaster. What’s the point in caring about or opposing genocide if it is never-ending or inevitable? Are we supposed to just sit by and watch it happen? The language is chosen to pacify the Canadian population into supporting Israel and turning a blind eye to its unfolding U.S.-backed genocide.
Canada continues to provide weapons to this out-of-control regime in violation of our own laws about enabling genocide. Canada’s stance is horrible. The public broadcaster is actively enabling the Canadian government to participate in this genocide. How different would public opinion be in this country if the public broadcaster was telling the truth about the cause of this genocide, the ways to end it, and scrutinizing Canada’s role in what is happening?
Canadian author Yves Engler says the term “eternal conflict” suggests some sort of religious war, not an anti-colonial struggle. This author could not agree more. Framing the conflict as a never-ending religious war makes people feel far more helpless than they would if this war were framed as what it actually is: a massive colonial expansion project backed by the United States in which they seek to destroy Palestine and Palestinians.
The religious aspect is continually exploited by Israel, not just to dodge criticism for colonial actions but to recruit and manipulate young Jewish men to enlist in the brutal Israeli Defence Forces – a violation of Canada’s Foreign Enlistment Act - in which 20-year-olds are sent out in death squads to kill and torture Palestinians.
The conflict is not eternal. The genocide is not eternal. Canadians should not be silent. We should not be pushed into complacency by the words of the public broadcaster.
Israel has demonstrated over and over again that it has no regard for Palestinian lives, that it will turn Canadian and U.S.-supplied weapons on innocent civilians. Canadian support for this bloodshed, racism, and violence should not be “eternal.”
Alex Tyrrell is leader of the Green Party of Québec. He is an eco-socialist activist and an outspoken voice against Canadian militarism.
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