1. ISRAEL

1. ISRAEL

The Jerusalem Post, May 11: Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz hailed it as a “historic achievement.” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu saw it as a “particularly welcome sign of Israel’s solid international standing,” noting that any one of the 31 member states “could have voted ‘no’ and vetoed our inclusion.”

They were talking about the unanimous vote at Chateau de la Muette in Paris by the 31 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to accept Israel — as well as Estonia and Slovenia — into its ranks.

It was undoubtedly a victory for the embattled Jewish state. Until the last moment, there was some concern that Switzerland, Turkey, Norway, Britain and/or Ireland could torpedo the move. These countries have criticized Israel for insisting on providing economic data that includes east Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and settlements in Judea and Samaria as part of the Israeli economy. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, evidently unperturbed by potential damage to ties with Israel as proximity talks got under way, has campaigned against Israel’s inclusion. The very fact that the well-connected Fayyad, a former International Monetary Fund economist, failed to sabotage the move is a success for Israel and for hardheaded reason.

Israel’s impressive accomplishments are best appreciated when scrutinized by a forum of highly developed countries committed to democracy, liberalism, equal opportunity and the market economy using objective socio-economic criteria. In contrast, negative misrepresentations of the “Zionist entity” as a repressive, racist apartheid state belong to the fairyland world of hateful propaganda and a well-developed Palestinian victimization complex.

2. CANADA

Calgary (Alberta) Sun, May 8: All that oil floating on the Gulf of Mexico reveals the lie about Alberta’s “dirty oil” for what it is.

While we get no pleasure from seeing our neighbors to the south contend with an unfolding ecological disaster, it at least puts the relative merits of different energy sources in perspective.

There’s no such thing as “clean” hydrocarbons.

No matter what the source, extracting oil from the Earth’s bosom is an endeavor fraught with risk.

We take the gamble because our world as we know it wouldn’t function without oil.

Canada supplies more oil to the U.S. than any other nation. That provides energy security for the Americans and a huge boost to our economy.

Yet as more of that supply comes from Alberta’s oilsands, there’s a danger sensationalistic disinformation campaigns will undermine this mutually beneficial relationship.