The New York Times: A Year-Long Analysis

Via HonestReporting:

The last HonestReporting long-term analysis of the New York Times was released in November of 2007. At the time, we found that there were several disturbing patterns in how the Times reported events in the Middle East. Our conclusion was that the treatment of Israeli and Palestinian actions was so different, that there could be no question that the reporting was favoring the Palestinians rather than remaining impartial. We highlighted specific cases where headlines dealing with Israeli or Palestinian actions were written in different styles. We also noted that the vast majority of images used by the Times appears reflectively sympathetic to the Palestinians while virtually ignoring the greater context surrounding the conflict.

We have now concluded a broader survey of the Times. Specifically, we looked at 205 articles between July of 2007 and June of 2008. Using this much larger time frame, we found that our original thesis has only been strengthened. Specifically, when reviewing headlines and photographs, it is clear that there is an inherent bias in New York Times reporting about the conflict that favors the Palestinians.

To see the results of our study, click here.

Google Earth and the Campaign to Wipe Israel Off the Virtual Map

From the Institute for Contemporary Affairs/Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs:

Virtual Israel, as represented by Google Earth, is littered with orange dots, many of which claim to represent "Palestinian localities evacuated and destroyed after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war."

Thus, Israel is depicted as a state born out of colonial conquest rather than the return of a people from exile.

Each dot links to the "Palestine Remembered" site, where further information advancing this narrative can be obtained.

Many of the claims staked out in Google Earth present misinformation, and sites known to be ruins in 1946 are claimed to be villages destroyed in 1948. Arab villages which still exist today are listed as sites of destruction.

The Google Earth initiative is not only creating a virtual Palestine, it is creating a falsification of history. The concept of "replacement geography" replaces the historical connection of one people to the land with a connection between another people and the land.

The inclusion of virtual Palestine, superimposed on Israel in the core layer of Google Earth, is an example of replacement geography advanced by technology.

Those wishing to explore Israel in Google Earth are immediately taken to a politically motivated narrative unrelated to their quest. Google should remove the narrative and treat Israel as it treats every other country on the globe.

The core layer of Google Earth should be ideology free and not serve as a platform for indoctrination or a campaign to wipe Israel off the virtual map.

Shame on Fox News

What was often viewed as one of the most pro-American and patriotic news channels just a few years ago, has now resorted to the same anti-American, anti-Western propaganda and revolting journalism as many other pro-Islamist and anti-American media networks according to the United American Committee. In a recent posting on YouTube by the United American Committee of a story appearing on Fox News, a Fox reporter hangs out with terrorists as he watches them build rockets in a location known by him, and then gleefully films them launch their creations onto civilian targets. This is the same journalist who most recently hung out again with his Hamas friends as the media hungry terrorists gave him a guided tour of smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt.

After watching the video, please let Fox News know what you think of this reporting.

FoxNews Switchboard: 212-301-3000

Al-Dura Trial: Karsenty Wins in Paris

The truth emerges about Palestinianism, Palestiniasts, Pallywood and the al-Dura hoax. Via HonestReporting. com:

The iconic images of Mohammad al-Dura's alleged death in Gaza inflamed Palestinian sentiment and provoked terrible bloodshed. Despite the evidence that Israel was not responsible for firing the bullets that hit al-Dura, and doubts as to the credibility of the footage taken from the scene, this libel has continued to prevail.

HonestReporting has brought you the news directly from the trial of Philippe Karsenty, who accused France 2 and its reporter Charles Enderlin of knowingly broadcasting doctored footage of the al-Dura incident.

To recall, France 2 successfully sued Karsenty who then appealed against the verdict. At the appeal trial, some of the raw footage taken during that fateful day in Gaza was aired to a packed courtroom that witnessed numerous examples of "Pallywood" staging of events. France 2, however, only made available some 18 out of 27 minutes of footage that apparently exists.

Evidently, these scenes and the unreliability of France 2's cameraman Talal Abu Rahma has convinced the French appeals judge. Philippe Karsenty has won the appeal against his libel conviction.

Media commentator Tom Gross, who has previously reviewed (see our exclusive video) the al-Dura affair for HonestReporting, said in response to the verdict:

Today's ruling shows there are serious doubts about France 2's version of events, and that the entire world press - including the American TV networks - were irresponsible in being so quick to take at face value the claims of a local Palestinian cameraman working for France 2, a cameraman who has admitted his partisanship.

Karsenty said in a statement released after his victory:

The al-Dura lie is an assault on our ability to think, to criticize, to evaluate, and finally to reject information - especially the right to reject information on which we base our most cherished assumptions. One of Europe's most cherished assumptions is that Israel is a vicious Nazi-like entity that deliberately murders Palestinian Arab children. Moreover, polls conducted in Europe have identified Israel as the greatest threat to world peace, greater than Iran and North Korea, Pakistan and Syria. The al-Dura hoax is one of the pillars on which these assumptions rely.

Now it is time for France 2 to acknowledge that it created and is continuing to perpetuate the worst anti-Semitic libel of our era.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

At the time of writing, the full judgment had not been released to the media. However, Take A Pen's Endre Mozes was in the courtroom delivering firsthand accounts of proceedings to HonestReporting. Mozes spoke with some of the lawyers involved who had seen a copy of the judgment prior to its forthcoming release.
Amongst his observations and the comments from these lawyers was the court's acceptance of the argument that protagonists operating in non-democratic regimes such as the Palestinian areas are inherently less reliable and should be carefully scrutinized as should have been the case with Talal Abu Rahma.

Essentially, the court decided the level of doubt associated with the al-Dura footage warrants deep analysis. It is perfectly legitimate to question it, not libelous.

Philippe Karsenty's efforts have opened up France 2 to scrutiny and serves as an example of how the media should be held accountable for their material and the consequences of their reporting. France 2's al-Dura footage has been shown in court to be unreliable and possibly fake. Along with a number of investigations concluding that Israel was not responsible for the bullets that allegedly killed the boy, the icon that is al-Dura - the edifice upon which so much hostility has been directed at Israel, aided and abetted by a willing media - comes toppling down.

WHERE IS THE COVERAGE?

So far, despite access to Reuters and Associated Press wire reports, only Jewish and Israeli media have published the trial verdict. The mainstream media has regrettably remained silent. Is the same media that did so much to propagate the al-Dura libel without verifying the facts now too embarrassed to admit that they may have erred?

If your local media outlet has not covered this story, write to it and ask why not. While Philippe Karsenty has had his day in court, the State of Israel and all of those victims of the terror and violence fueled by images of al-Dura deserve nothing less.

Some of our own subscribers were not even in their teens in 2000 when the al-Dura case occurred and may not even remember it. Some of those who do remember have questioned why we should continue to pursue this case several years later.

We believe that, irrespective of how long it may take, the truth will emerge. Accountability and justice do not dissipate over time. HonestReporting will continue to hold the media to account and to revisit those cases where an injustice has been done.

COMING SOON - THE BIG LIES

HonestReporting will be bringing you the court's full judgment as part of a brand new interactive resource - The Big Lies. Using multimedia resources, including audio and video footage, al-Dura is but one of a number of case studies where untrue accusations have been reported as facts. This exciting resource will enable you to examine the lies, how the media presented them, and the real facts, as well as further resources to counter the next "Big Lie".

Legless Jewish Chicks Preventing Hot Arab Chicks from Getting Any

The excellent Julia Gorin writes that in a standardly anti-Jewish Christian Science Monitor article titled “The Arabs on the Outside”, which details the hindered lives of some palestinians thanks to the security wall that Israel has built (and made adjustments to when the situation demands) has also created a mobility problem for Arabs living on the other side of it.

The article highlights the (sniff-sniff) poor Arab, Sherifa Shawara, who wants to get married. The second-year college student doesn’t lack for suitors. The problem is where she lives. Although Shawara lives within the Israeli-drawn boundaries of Jerusalem, she holds a West Bank ID and could be arrested if she’s caught inside the city but outside her village.

“I can’t move. I can’t go anywhere,” says Shawara, locking her arms across her chest and gazing bitterly into the distance. “Last week, the soldiers told me my name wasn’t on the list and I couldn’t go home. Recently, we went shopping and bought a lot, and the soldier wouldn’t even let us enter the village in a taxi, so we had to carry it all on foot.”

Ms. Gorin writes:

Poor Shawara. I’m sure Rivka (an Israeli everygirl composite) feels her pain. Because Rivka is having a hard time too. You see, Rivka falls out of her bed every morning as she tries to start her day, because she keeps forgetting that she’s missing her legs. “I can’t move. I can’t go anywhere,” Rivka might say. What’s more, apparently not too many guys are into amputee chicks, so Rivka can really identify with Shawara. Of course, Rivka has permission to move around, she just can’t.

So my question to Shawara is: would you like to trade places with Rivka? Or maybe you’d rather be Kinneret Boosany, sixty percent of whose body is burned (including most of her face), thanks to a suicide bomber she was serving coffee to?

Tell us, Monitor — who would you trade places with — Shawara or Kinneret?

Thought so.

But hey, what’s a few thousand more Jewish lives and limbs so that hot Arab chicks can get laid?

Right, Georgie?

Deconstructing Anti-Israel Bias: The Jerusalem Yeshiva Massacre

An excerpt from the excellent Deconstructing Anti-Israel Bias: The Jerusalem Yeshiva Massacre:

The bias of the mainstream media against Israel never ceases to amaze me. It must rank as one of the most curious sociopolitical phenomena of our era. The further the Palestinian Arabs move toward a barbaric Islamic theocracy, the deeper the support for them among the cadre of "progressive" journalists.

An example of the entrenched bias is last Thursday's (March 6) article from the Associated Press, "7 die in shooting at Jerusalem seminary."

Let us first examine the headline: "7 die." Seven what-people? Jews? Martians? And they are not killed, they simply "die," in the passive sense, as if from a stroke. The main reason why this is so insidious is that such language is never used when the
enemies of Israel are the ones who die. One of the calling cards of Leftist journalism is that when Arabs die, you know how they died, who killed them, and whether they had any special characteristics worthy of pity. If the sides were reversed, the headline would read, "Israeli extremist massacres 7 youths learning Koran at Gaza holy place."

Let us now move to the body of the article:

A gunman infiltrated a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem and opened fire in a library Thursday night, killing at least seven people and wounding dozens, police and rescue workers said.

A gunman? Don't use the T-word, Mr. AP reporter, it hurts too much. Sure, a gunman, a man who happened to have a gun. It was probably just a liquor-store holdup that went bad.

"Killing at least seven people." Okay, we now know that the gunman killed someone. The victims remain just vague people, however. Not students, rabbis, youths, boys, teenagers, whatever.

In Gaza, the Islamic militant Hamas praised the attack but stopped short of claiming responsibility. Thousands poured into the streets to celebrate in Hamas-ruled Gaza, firing rifles in the air. "We bless the (Jerusalem) operation. It will not be the last," Hamas said in a text message sent to reporters.

The militant Hamas? Nothing like a little air freshener to sanitize one of the world's premiere Islamofascist terror groups. Militant, that sounds like hippies holding a sit-in demonstration. We should be grateful they weren't called activists.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television in Lebanon said a previously unknown group called the Martyrs of Imad Mughniyeh and Gaza claimed responsibility for the attack. Mughniyeh, a top Hezbollah commander, was killed Feb. 12 by a car bomb in Syria. Hezbollah blamed his assassination on Israel, which denied any role.

Here we begin the obligatory recitation of Israel's recent bad behavior, to give us the context for the terror attack. First we learn that the old martyr's club pulled off the caper because Israel killed their hero, Mughniyeh. Israel of course "denied any role," which is to be expected from those tricky devils.

But wait, there's more Israeli mischief behind all this:

The attack in Jerusalem came a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice persuaded moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to return to peace talks with Israel and on the same day Egyptian officials were trying to mediate a truce between Gaza militants and Israel. Abbas suspended the talks after Israel launched a military offensive against Gaza militants barraging southern Israel with rockets. Palestinian officials say more than 120 were killed in Gaza during the
weeklong operation. Four Israelis were also killed.

Well why didn't you say so? It was only after Israel decided to kill 120 people that the great moderate leader, His Excellency the President Mr. Abbas, was obliged to suspend the talks. Bad, bad Israel. At least the rocket attacks against Israel were
mentioned, but note the odd sentence structure, with the sequence of events reversed. Ah, those cute little militants, "barraging southern Israel with rockets." Not bombing, not raining death, but barraging.

By the way, what does all this have to do with the event the article purports to be covering?

"He came out of the library spraying automatic fire. ... The terrorist came to the entrance and I shot him twice in the head," claimed [Yitzhak Dadon].

The T-word is finally used, but put in the mouth of an Israeli. We have been told that the gunman is a militant, so the use of the word terrorist seems misplaced and extreme. Another classic calling card of Leftist journalism.

Special Report: Gaza - Israel Responds to Hamas's Escalation

From HonestReporting:

Special Report: Gaza - Israel Responds to Hamas's Escalation

Loss of human life in a conflict is invariably an ugly situation and one that creates intense media interest. Such is the case of Israel's military operations in Gaza that are currently making international headline news.

However, the focus on Palestinian casualties ignores the context behind Israel's actions and only tells a part of the real story.

HAMAS FIRES KATYUSHAS AT ASHKELON

Sderot and the western Negev region have been under constant attack from Qassam missiles and mortars. Palestinian terrorists have deliberately set out to kill and maim innocent Israeli civilians making life unbearable for those within missile range.

Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in mid-June 2007, over 800 rockets and over 900 mortar bombs have been fired. Since Thursday 28 February alone, over 100 rockets have been launched at southern Israel. At the time of writing, rockets continue to be fired at such a rate as to make it impossible to give completely up-to-date statistics. While many media have downplayed the effects of the Qassams, referring to them as "homemade", no such language can be employed to describe the latest Hamas escalation.

The situation has escalated in the past few days, as over 15 heavy rockets were fired from Hamas-controlled Gaza against Israel’s southern port city of Ashkelon. The 122 mm GRAD rockets are a type of standard military artillery weapon produced in the former Soviet bloc and by other states deploying non-Western arms. It is manufactured to military standards, by a conventional arms industry, and is equipped with a weapons-grade high explosive fragmentation warhead.

GRADS are also known as Katyushas - the same type of weapon fired at northern Israel by Hezbollah during the 2006 Lebanon War, possessing the same lethal capabilities.

Despite repeated Israeli warnings of an arms buildup in Gaza, the GRAD rockets were apparently smuggled into the Strip from Iran via Egypt through tunnels and the breached Rafah border fence.
The range of the rockets fired against Ashkelon is over 20 km, an upgraded capability which places about a quarter of a million Israeli civilians in constant danger of Hamas attack.

The primary responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens. Israel disengaged from Gaza in 2005 with no intention of ever returning. In the face of these missile barrages, Israel is left with little choice but to take action against those who target its towns and cities.

Israel is acting in self-defense.

TERRORISTS OPERATING FROM WITHIN RESIDENTIAL AREAS

Civilian casualties on any side of a conflict are tragic. Many headlines have concentrated on the high death toll of Palestinians during the fighting, which, sadly, has included a number of civilians. However, casualty statistics only tell part of the story:

Israel never intentionally targets civilians whereas Palestinian terrorists deliberately set out to kill innocents, celebrating hits against schools and kindergartens.

The vast majority of Palestinians killed during Israeli military operations were armed terrorists or those directly involved in firing missiles into Israeli towns and cities.

Hamas has exposed the Palestinian civilian population to risk by operating within and firing missiles from built-up areas, effectively using civilians as human shields.

NO 'HOLOCAUST' IN GAZA

Media analyst Tom Gross notes a Reuters mistranslation of remarks made by Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai on February 29 which led to dramatic headlines such as The Guardian's "Israeli minister warns of Palestinian 'holocaust'."

As Gross points out: "In fact Vilnai said this morning in off-the-cuff remarks made on Israel Radio that: "The more the Qassam rocket fire [on Israeli civilians] intensifies and increases its range, the Palestinians are bringing upon themselves a bigger disaster because we will use all our might to defend ourselves."
Vilnai used the word "shoah" (meaning disaster), which Reuters mistranslated as "Holocaust," which is "HaShoah" in Hebrew. It is like confusing a "white house" with "The White House."

Irrespective of whether or not Vilnai's choice of words were ill-thought out or whether the media is to blame for the resulting furore, one fact is undeniable - Israel is not carrying out a 'holocaust' or genocide in Gaza.

Anti-Israel propagandists have jumped on this bandwagon to repeat the false and disgusting analogy that compares Israel to the Nazis or seeks to deny the scale of the Holocaust. Unfortunately not only Hamas but also Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has described Israel's actions as "worse than the Holocaust". Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal called Israel's military operations "the real Holocaust" and accused Israel of "exaggerating the Holocaust and using it to blackmail the world."

The European Union's Working Definition of Anti-Semitism includes:

Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust; and
Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.

Please be on the lookout for these false comparisons in op-eds and media articles and respond appropriately.

A FULL-SCALE INVASION?

Hamas terrorists have no qualms about targeting innocents, safe in the knowledge that the world's media is slow to condemn such acts. Israel's enemies, however, are fully aware of Israel's efforts to avoid civilian casualties. In an asymmetric battle, the Palestinians are adept at waging war through the media in order to pressurize Israel into curtailing IDF military operations.

The IDF's latest actions to defend Israeli towns and cities under rocket attack may be only the beginning before a full-scale invasion of Gaza. Please monitor your media to ensure that the full story is being told of Hamas's responsibility for the violence and Israel's responsibility to defend her citizens.

HonestReporting. com

Reuters mistake triggers Israel “Holocaust” libel

Via National Review:

A Reuters mistranslation of remarks by Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai this morning has triggered an international news libel against Israel.

Among the news outlets jumping on the bandwagon are those that have previously been accused of deliberately attempting to stir up anti-Semitism through false and inflammatory coverage of Israel.

They include several British-owned or British-based media. For example, at the present time the following headlines can be found on these websites:

Reuters: Israel minister warns Palestinians of “shoah”
The BBC: Israel warns of Gaza ‘holocaust’
The Guardian: Israeli minister warns of Palestinian ‘holocaust’
The Times (of London): Israel threatens to unleash ‘holocaust’ in Gaza

In fact Vilnai said this morning in off-the-cuff remarks made on Israel Radio that: “The more the Qassam rocket fire [on Israeli civilians] intensifies and increases its range, the Palestinians are bringing upon themselves a bigger disaster because we will use all our might to defend ourselves.”

Vilnai used the word “shoah” (meaning disaster), which Reuters mistranslated as “Holocaust,” which is “HaShoah” in Hebrew. It is like confusing a “white house” with “The White House.”

Given the virulently anti-Israel (and many would say anti-Semitic) track record of some of the news organizations who have jumped to prominently headline these mistranslated comments on their home pages, one wonders if they are making this mistake in innocence?

Who wouldn't be driven by the belief that reports on Israel should be fair and balanced?

Millions of you. Help reduce that number and fight against anti-Israel media bias. Received by email from Honest Reporting:

Over the last seven years, HonestReporting has been challenging anti-Israel media bias and achieving impressive results. But we still have a long way to go before Israel is treated fairly and accurately by the world media, and we need your help today to continue our effort.

Click here to view our 2 minute film showing some of the worst cases of media bias, and what we have been able to accomplish with our 155,000 subscribers.

Ahmadinejad, the epitomy of what is wrong with Islam

Ahmadinejad, the misshapen capuchin monkey Islamo-nazi psychopath and his appearance at the UN General Assembly in NY on Monday, September 24, 2007, is possibly the most "shameful moment" in the history of an organization supposedly dedicated to advancing global peace and security. The leader of Iran is a Holocaust denier who also denies Israel's right to exist. It is unfortunate that the US, even if it felt compelled by its treaty obligations to allow Ahmadinejad to attend the UN session, do not also feel compelled to arrest him under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Via DrudgeReport:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not press his plan -- just denied by New York City Police for security reasons -- to visit Ground Zero in New York City, he tells 60 MINUTES' Scott Pelley in an exclusive interview conducted today in Iran. The Iranian leader says he's "amazed" and skeptical that most Americans view his visit there as insulting as his intention was only to show respect. The interview will be broadcast on 60 MINUTES, Sunday Sept. 23 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS television Network.

An excerpt from the interview follows:

PELLEY: Mr. President, do you intend to press your request to visit the World Trade Center site?

AHMADINEJAD: Well, it was included in my program. If we have the time and the conditions are conducive, I will try to do that.

PELLEY: But the New York Police Department and others do not appear to want you there. Do you intend to go there anyway?

AHMADINEJAD: Well, over there, local officials need to make the necessary coordinations. If they can't do that, I won't insist.

PELLEY: Sir, what were you thinking? The World Trade Center site is the most sensitive place in the American heart, and you must have known that visiting there would be insulting to many, many Americans.

AHMADINEJAD: Why should it be insulting?

PELLEY: But the American people, sir, believe that your country is a terrorist nation, exporting terrorism in the world. You must have known that visiting the World Trade Center site would infuriate many Americans.

AHMADINEJAD: Well, I'm amazed. How can you speak for the whole of the American nation?

PELLEY: Well, the American nation--

AHMADINEJAD: You are representing a media and you're a reporter. The American nation is made up of 300 million people. There are different points of view over there.

Developing...

Imagine, the audacity of this Islamo-bastard telling us Americans how we feel about Mohammad's monsters. Ahmadinejad looks innocent enough in this interview, wearing his light colored suit and all, but that's because his kill-switch was turned off for the interview. There is no doubt that when he is not in the spotlight, his kill-switch goes on auto-pilot, and it will be just a matter of time before he attacks the US. In fact, the piglet has sworn to attack America and Israel on October 12, the last day of Ramadan. Yup, on 10/12, just one step above 9/11.

Exchange of letters between Hebron Jewish community spokesman and CNN prior to CNN's airing of "Warriors of G-d"

Read more of CNN's defense of Christiane Amanpour's pimping on behalf of pan-Arabia. Received by email:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hebron and CNN

Following the screening of the CNN production "Warriors of G-d", including a 2 hour segment dealing with Judaism and Israel, I think it appropriate to post the following two letters, between myself and Mr. Jonathan Klein, President of CNN/USA. The two letters are, I think, self-explanatory.

I must note, that following my 'revelation, ' I notified a number of people who had, like myself, agreed to participate one way or another, with CNN. Some of them immediately ceased all contact with CNN and refused to take part in the program. Others decided to continue.

Each person can draw their own conclusions.

David Wilder
Hebron

From: Hebron [deleted]
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 5:44 PM
To: 'public.information@cnn.com'
Subject: Cnn production of Religion and politics - produced by Andy Segal
Importance: High

Dear Mr. Klein,

A couple of months ago I was approached by one of your Israeli correspondents about participating in a program produced by CNN, dealing with politics and religion in Judaism. He introduced me to Mr. Andy Segal, who is producing the program, and we had several lengthy conversations, first by phone, and later in person, here in Hebron, in Israel. Our conversations were quite open and frank - I saw no reason to hide my suspicions about cooperating with CNN - the network's reputation concerning Israel is less than positive. We discussed this at great length, and at one point Andy requested to center the program around Hebron and the Hebron Jewish community.

Following much thought and conversations with colleagues of mine, I decided to refuse Andy's request, but did agree to participate in a more minor role in the program, basing our response to each request on its own merits.

A couple of weeks ago Andy again made contact and we spoke of several possibilities. He was interested in speaking to a family which had experienced terror first-hand, and had chosen to remain in Hebron, despite their loss and the dangers involved. I decided to try to assist and introduced him to Mrs. Tzippy Shlissel, whose father, Rabbi Shlomo Ra'anan, was killed by terrorists in Hebron some eight and a half years ago. He met with her three times: first an introductory meeting, followed by an in-depth interview, and followed, earlier today, by a filmed interview and filming of the family, home, etc.

So far so good.

However.

When we first discussed this project I asked Andy who was responsible for writing the script. He told me that he would be working on it, but there would be others involved. To the best of my recollection, my impression was that he was 'in charge' and for the most part, would determine the outlook of the script and would be 'on top' of the entire project.

This afternoon, that illusion shattered when he mentioned to me that in a few months, the chief international CNN correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, would be coming to Israel and would probably also want to speak with Mrs. Shlissel. Almost in shock, I asked him what her role is in this project. He told me that she is the narrator. I asked if she would have anything to do with writing the script and was told that "I will write the first draft."

"Will she have anything to do with writing the final draft?" "Yes."

I then told Andy that had I known she was involved with this project I would not have had anything at all to do with it.

I am personally familiar with Christiane Amanpour. A number of years ago (about 10 years ago) she interviewed me. I had the dubious pleasure to have her yell and scream at me on camera. She obviously wanted me to scream back, so as to show her viewers 'an extremist from Hebron' exploding on camera. I refused to play into her hands and answered all her questions with a relaxed, calm smile on my face. However, I never forgot the interview. I haven't been yelled at, on camera, by too many journalists.

How can CNN produce an 'objective program' about Israel and religious settlers, when one of the prime elements of the program is known to be vehemently 'anti-Israel' and certainly 'anti-settlers, ' so to speak? Her reputation is so blatantly prejudiced. For example:

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/03/from-terrorism-to-trash-collection_28.html

QUOTE: So when people ask: "Why did the Palestinian people elect a terrorist group?" The answer is because they see them as a lifeline.

Each time I go to the Palestinian territory of Gaza, I am shocked by the reality on the ground. On a recent visit, I passed through a short tunnel from the First World in Israel and emerged into the Third World that is Gaza. The poverty there is among the worst in the world.

Hamas officials told me they did not expect to win the election as overwhelmingly as they did. They say their main priority now is to meet the demands of the people for a better life.

But that may be impossible, because Israel and the United States refuse to deal with Hamas and have already cut funding to the new Palestinian government.

Posted By Christiane Amanpour, CNN Correspondent: 11:03 AM ET

END QUOTE

A woman who justifies and backs Hamas is going to deal 'fairly' with Jews in Hebron, or anywhere else in Judea and Samaria? She is going to present us as 'religious nuts and fanatics' who are endangering world peace. She is certainly not going to present anything that could be considered positive concerning us, our lifestyles or our beliefs. She is certainly not going to present a balanced, objective program dealing with religious Jews and Eretz Yisrael.

I basically told Andy that I was out - and wouldn't have anything more to do with the project. I put a rather large degree of trust in Andy - I believed that he had the possibility to present an object, balanced program. However, I cannot have any trust whatsoever in Christiane Amanpour, whose reputation stands before her.

Andy Segal told me that you are responsible for this project, that you initiated it. Without being presumptuous, I think it fair to demand that Christiane Amanpour be removed from this project. I cannot imagine that such a biased person could have anything to do with a project dealing with religion and politics in Israel. The results are a foregone conclusion, even before the cameras start rolling. The question is whether the program you are producing is to be an interesting objective account of religion and politics in Israel, or another CNN-produced Israel (settler)-bashing?

I await your reply and hope, very much, to learn that Ms. Amanpour will no longer have anything to do with this project.

Sincerely,
David Wilder
Spokesman
The Jewish Community of Hebron

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: Klein, Jon [Jon.Klein@turner.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 6:41 PM
To: [deleted]
Subject: Response to your email dated January 30, 2007
February 13, 2007

Mr. David Wilder
Spokesman
The Jewish Community of Hebron
February 12, 2007

Dear Mr. Wilder,

Let me begin by thanking you for your comments. I am sorry that the Jewish Community of Hebron has chosen not to be represented in our documentary. Our mission is to produce a program that goes far beyond what is normally seen in daily news broadcasts so that our viewers can better understand the people who risk their lives -- and their children's - to live on land they believe is their birthright: Jerusalem and the West Bank. Our goal is not to find fault or fix blame -- but to simply understand. To that end, I believe that you are missing a prime opportunity to be heard, not only in the United States, but in 180 countries around the world, and I would ask you to reconsider.

Regardless of your decision, I stand by CNN's reputation as a fair and impartial source of information. On conflicts as heated and long-standing as that between Israel and the Palestinians it is not surprising that "both sides" are at times unhappy with our reporting. We often hear that we are biased towards the other side, and that may be the surest indication of our impartiality.

Christiane Amanpour is one of our most talented and prominent international correspondents, and she is supported by a team of our strongest producers. In fact Andy Segal, our senior producer, is one of the best. As you probably have discovered, Andy comes to the table prepared. He is fair,honorable and ethical - a journalist who takes his work very seriously. He has produced a number of award-winning documentaries. Andy and his team are researching, producing and writing this documentary, and you can be assured that his reporting will shape the final program. As a spokesman for a prominent organization, I am sure you appreciate the need for others input before you represent the positions and views of Hebron's Jewish community. The same is true at CNN - not only will Ms. Amanpour have input, but so will editors and executives, to insure journalist standards and practices are met. In the end a program like this will be fully vetted and sourced.

I can honestly say that if you decide not to contribute to this program - perhaps the fullest exploration of this issue ever seen on western television - you may regret missing the opportunity to let millions of viewers understand your story. I hope you will reconsider your decision, but if not, you can be assured the program will meet the highest standards of journalism.

Sincerely,
Jon Klein

Jon Klein
President, CNN U.S.
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY 10019

Poisonously Biased

We already knew this about Christiane Amanpour, the biased arabist "journalist" from CNN. From Poisonously Biased:

CNN's Christiane Amanpour has set a new standard - and not the kind a news network usually trumpets. "God's Jewish Warriors," her two-hour screed against Israeli settlers and American supporters of Israel, is the most poisonously biased and factually shoddy feature to air on mainstream American television in recent memory. To demonstrate the supposed threat of Jewish fundamentalism, the few cases of Jewish terrorism - a handful spanning decades, with each one overwhelmingly denounced by Israeli society and with those involved arrested, tried and jailed - are elaborated on at length and cast as a profound peril. Amanpour is similarly deceptive and manipulative in other depictions of nefarious Jewish power, respectfully interviewing both Jimmy Carter and John Mearsheimer, and giving not the slightest hint of the gross factual errors in the charges leveled by the two controversial figures whose recent, incendiary allegations against Israel have been extensively debunked. Amanpour declares bizarrely that "the 40-year tug of war over Jerusalem began when Israel bulldozed the Arab neighborhood next to the Western Wall and built a plaza where Jews now pray." Obviously, the modern battle over Jerusalem "began" 60 years ago, when the Arabs attacked in 1948 to destroy the newborn State of Israel, seizing the eastern side of Jerusalem, including the Jewish quarter of the Old City. Every Jew was expelled or killed and all synagogues were destroyed. Thereafter, for 19 years, no Jew could pray at the Western Wall and Christians had limited access to their holy sites.

Amanpour, you might be a superstar on CNN, but to me, you're dirt.

The Big Lie and the Media War Against Israel: From Inversion of the Truth to Inversion of Reality

From The Big Lie and the Media War Against Israel: From Inversion of the Truth to Inversion of Reality:

From the 1960s, inversion of truth and reality has been one the most favored propaganda methods of Israel's adversaries. One of its most frequent expressions has been the accusation that the Jewish people, victims of the Nazis, have now become the new Nazis, aggressors and oppressors of the Palestinian Arabs. Contemporary observers have identified this method and described it as an "inversion of reality," an "intellectual confidence trick," "reversing moral responsibility," or "twisted logic." Because Israel's enemies have, for nearly half a century, repeated such libels without being challenged, they have gradually gained credence.

Since inversion of reality constitutes the basic principle of current anti-Israel propaganda, it is important to understand what it is and how it works. This propaganda method is a product of Nazi Germany. It is totalitarian both in its methods, particularly the use of the paranoiac myth, and in the absolute solution it advocates. It totally denies all of Israel's claims and leaves no room for introspection and compromise.

Christiane Amanpour, the CNN whore who pimps for Babylon

Watching Amanpour's hideously and embarassingly one-sided opinion on this evening's CNN special, G-d's Warriors, one has to chortle at how desperately she has politically identified with the Arab world; she lied and maligned and villified Israel and Jews, as one would expect an Iranian to do, by squirting out some half-assed moral equivalency between Muslim barbarians and Jewish settlers. However, to the rest of us, she is just another Persian pimping for pan-Arabia; she has revised the history, language, religion, and culture of Israel with her repetition of the phrase, "God's Jewish Warriors", as if Jews were as despicable and disgusting as Muslims who kill innocent people. There is no comparison, Christiane. You're a con artist and simply a whore for Babylon.

The BBC's platform for Jew-hatred

Via Melanie Phillips:

On the Harry's Place website, Mark has posted disturbing news of the BBC's refusal to remove antisemitic foulness from its Radio Five Live website, along with an analysis of its provenance:

BBC Radio 5 Live message board moderators have refused to remove a posting from the 5 Live website, which states that

'Zionism is a racist ideology where jews are given supremacy over all other races and faiths.

This is found in the Talmud.

There is a law called Baba Mezia which allows jews to lie as long as its to non-jews. many pro jewish supporters will cringe at this being exposed because they know it exists, yet they keep quiet about it, hey frip, jla and co The Law of Baba Mezia!! Tsk tsk tsk! Its in the Talmud.'

When I brought the mailing to the attention of the moderator, "The BBC Communities Team" emailed back, stating

'we have decided that it does not contravene the House Rules and are going to leave it on site'.

Apparently, at least three others have also complained to the BBC.

The message was posted by 'Iron Naz'. A brief Google search on this name suggests that he is unlikely to be a (bottom of the class) Jewish theological student.

Only 'Iron Naz' himself knows how he came to hear of the supposed Law of Baba Mezia. The bastardisation of Talmud quotes, however, is normally rooted within 'The Talmud Unmasked', a classic core antisemitic text written at the end of the 19th Century by a Jew hating Russian Catholic Priest, Rev. Father Justin Praniatis, who gave evidence at the infamous Beilis blood libel trial in Kiev, 1913.

Praniatis argued that the Talmud advocated ritual murder, but was shown by Jewish and Christian scholars to be a charlatan with no knowledge of the Talmud. The all Christian jury found Beilis innocent. The influence, however, of Rev. Praniatis' work has of course spread well beyond the confines of Imperial Russia.

Today, the core text, 'The Talmud Unmasked' is distributed by neo-Nazi booksellers via the internet. It gained a brief surge of publicity in the UK in the early 1990s as part of a series of mass antisemitic mailshots by a coterie of veteran Jew haters led by the notorious Dowager Lady Jane Birdwood. She was eventually convicted in 1994 of distributing 'threatening, abusive and insulting material' on account of an antisemitic compendium, 'The Longest Hatred', the contents of which included the Talmud material.

Attacks on the Talmud are also an increasingly routine component of Arab and Islamist antisemitism, anti-Zionism and Israel hatred. Until now, however, the BBC was not known to have joined this particular part of the club.

It is bad enough that it is up to readers to police what the BBC publish on their own websites, but it is far sadder that this public body should actively refuse to remove the filth, and give no explanation for their actions - or perhaps its just that 'The BBC Communities Team' agree with the essential element of the posting:

'Zionism is a racist ideology where jews are given supremacy over all other races and faiths.'

It is simply beyond appalling that the BBC is giving house-room to this vileness. There are no fig-leaves here. This is pure, undiluted Jew-hatred. And the BBC is refusing to remove it because it 'does not contravene the house rules'.

Incredible.

In a just world, the New York Times would have to pay

A smiling photo of a palestinian muslim murderer, in an Israeli jail, featured in an HBO film, praised by the New York Times. From Boker Tov, Boulder:


Ahlam Tamimi in a scene from the documentary “Hot House.” Ms. Tamimi is among about 10,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails.

In a just world, the New York Times would have to pay for the pain they have caused the Roth family and the entire family of Jews. I am so angry and so hurt by this. I would say it is unspeakable, unbearable, but I would be proven wrong... as you will see:

Page E9 of The Arts Section of the New York Times, Wednesday June 27, 2007:

An Odd Understanding Reached in Israeli Prisons by Television Review / "Hot House" by Neil Genzlinger

The parents of Malki Chana Roth write:

Dear friends,

Today's New York Times carries a review of a film called "Hot House" that goes inside Israeli prisons and examines the lives of Palestinian prisoners. We're not recommending the film or the review. But we do want to share our feelings with you about the beaming female face that adorns the article....

The film is produced by HBO. So it's presumably HBO's publicity department that was responsible for creating and distributing a glamor-style photograph of a smiling, contented-looking young woman in her twenties to promote the movie.

That female is our child's murderer. She was sentenced to sixteen life sentences or 320 years which she is serving in an Israeli jail.

Fifteen people were killed and more than a hundred maimed and injured by the actions of this attractive person and her associates.

.... Neither the New York Times nor HBO are likely to give even a moment's attention to the victims of the barbarians who destroyed the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem and the lives of so many victims. So we would be grateful if you would pass along this link to some pictures of our daughter whose name was Malki. She was unable to reach her twenties - Hamas saw to that.

Though she was only fifteen years old when her life was stolen from her and from us, we think Malki was a beautiful young woman, living a beautiful life. We ask your help so that other people - far fewer than the number who will see the New York Times, of course - can know about her. Please ask your friends to look at the pictures - some of the very few we have - of our murdered daughter. They are at http://www.kerenmalki.org/photo.htm

And remind them of what the woman in the Israeli prison - the woman smiling so happily in the New York Times - said last year.

"I'm not sorry for what I did. We'll become free from the occupation and then I will be free from prison."

With so many voices demanding that Israel release its terrorist prisoners, small wonder she's smiling.

With greetings from Jerusalem,

Frimet and Arnold Roth, on behalf of Keren Malki

Fundamentalists Threaten Israel from All Sides

The Telgraph is too cowardly to use the term "Muslim", so they choose the term "Fundamentalist". Cowardly pukes. From Fundamentalists Threaten Israel from All Sides:

Hamas makes no secret of the fact that it now receives most of its financial and military support from Iran. The Iranian government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Hamas leadership in June last year in which it agreed to fund the militant group to the tune of £400 million. In addition, Iran provides military training to Hamas members by sending them to camps in Lebanon and Iran run by the elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards.

Earlier this year, the Iranians sought to establish new supply lines to Gaza. On February 24, Khaled Mashaal, Hamas' supreme leader, traveled to Khartoum where he met senior Quds Force officials and Sudanese politicians who are broadly sympathetic to Hamas' political objectives. The main topic of conversation was setting up a supply route that would enable Iran to smuggle rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank missiles, guns and explosives through the porous border between Gaza and Egypt.

Ordinary Palestinians, it is true, in both Gaza and the West Bank, are suffering hardship. But this is not because of a lack of funds entering the Palestinian territories: it is because successive Palestinian administrations have made no effort to distribute the resources available equably among the population. By forcing the majority of Palestinians to exist in dire poverty, Hamas succeeds in attracting widespread sympathy from international do-gooders who do not understand the sadistic economic manipulation that is taking place.

Hamas is trying to replicate Hizbullah's success in Gaza, not a pleasing prospect for Israel, which now faces the threat of having two Iranian-backed, Islamic fundamentalist organizations dedicated to its destruction camped on its northern and southern borders.

Israel's UN Ambassador: Moderate Muslims Not Doing Enough to Curtail Terrorism

From Israel's UN Ambassador: Moderate Muslims Not Doing Enough to Curtail Terrorism:

Israel's UN ambassador on Monday accused moderate Muslim and Arab leaders of standing by in "eerie silence" while Islamic extremists terrorize people around the world. "We live in a world where when Christians kill Muslims, it's a crusade. When Jews kill Muslims, it's a massacre. When Muslims kill Muslims, it's the weather channel. Nobody cares," Ambassador Dan Gillerman said in New York. He cited recent incidents in Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Kenya, Jordan, Turkey, Algeria and Morocco. "Hundreds of Muslims are killed by Muslims and you don't see a single Muslim leader that stands up and says enough is enough."

Gillerman commended moderate Arab leaders for their work on the Saudi peace initiative. He said that although Israel would not accept the plan without amendments, he believed that moderate Arab leaders had reorganized their priorities in the region, focusing less on Israel and more on Iran and its nuclear ambitions.

Palestinian Rockets Ignored Abroad

Everyone is talking about global warming but no one gives a crap that Jews are being targeted by unevolved barbarians. It's only when Israel defends herself that she receives attention, and negative attention at that. From Palestinian Rockets Ignored Abroad:

Palestinian rocket attacks on Sderot have received very little coverage in world media, despite the heavy barrages that have been going on for the past three days. Only when Israel began to respond to the attacks by aerial bombings, cannons and tanks did this part of the world receive attention from the American media. An American television producer explained that, as sad as it may sound, Sderot is a story that has been going on for years, and is no longer news. The producer added that there are very few injuries in Sderot, and images of shock victims do not sell. The moment that the IDF began to retaliate, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict went back to making headlines.

Ignoring the Gaza Chaos

From Ignoring the Gaza Chaos:

For several weeks now the Gaza Strip has been burning. This is not a matter of fighting between Hamas and Fatah activists or actions by the IDF, but battles between armed groups that for the most part are identified with large [Muslim] clans. Nearly every day for the past two weeks, men, women and children have been killed in Gaza. The number of armed men in the Gaza Strip, according to various estimates, is greater than 100,000. These men belong to security mechanisms, political organizations and above all to clans, and are trying to ensure the economic interests of their kinfolk. In recent weeks attacks on Western and Christian targets in the West Bank have also become common. Members of terror cells identified with Al-Qaeda-type organizations are blowing up and destroying institutions linked to Western culture such as the American School, a church library and dozens of Internet cafes. But the world is ignoring this. The media in Israel and the West, which reported on every person killed or wounded in the conflicts between Fatah and Hamas or because of "the Israeli occupation," are not taking any interest in Gaza.