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Monday, December 31 2007December 31 Links
Wanted: Ambassador to Cairo Israel Wants US and EU to Snub Durban II Comptroller to Compile Report on Past Efforts to Free Pollard Egyptian Police Break Arm of AFP Man Covering Sarkozy Visit Quashing Coverage
AP describes Hamas' latest suppression of the media: Several Gaza journalists received anonymous overnight phone calls warning them not to cover upcoming events planned by the Fatah movement, fueling fears that the territory's Islamic Hamas rulers were trying to quash coverage of their rivals. . . . Dueling Headlines
Hard to believe a B'tselem report could generate such polar opposite headlines: Study: Number of Palestinians killed by IDF dropped 43% in '07 The Underreported Israel
We all know the Israel of wars, oppression, and precarious security, but what about Israel of the humming economy with 90 Israel-related companies on NASDAQ? What about Israeli films garnishing honors around the world: "Jellyfish" and "The Band's Visit" at Cannes, "Beaufort" in Berlin, "My Father My Lord" in Tribeca, "Sweet Mud" at Sundance, and "Aviva, My Love" in Shanghai? Sunday, December 30 2007Today's Moral Equivalence
Courtesy Reuters (who else?) where one man's journalist is another man's airhead: Two Israelis and two Palestinians killed in West Bank Israel21c Revamps
Thumbs up to Israel21c on their revamped web site. Pinpoint Assassinations In the Crosshairs
Reducing the number of civilian casualties in the attacks on Gaza was one of the first tasks Halutz's heir as IAF chief, Eliezer Shkedi, marked out for himself. The data improved commensurately. From a 1:1 ratio between killed terrorists and civilians in 2003 to a 1:28 ratio in late 2005. Several IAF mishaps in 2006 lowered the ratio to 1:10, but the current ratio is at its lowest ever more than 1:30. Subliminal Images Push Peace
The State of the Two-State Solution
However, this author’s four meetings this week with three of the region’s top Arab affairs experts and a senior Palestinian official reveal that the Palestinian’s have already jettisoned the idea of reaching a compromise with Israel and have already hit cruise control if only to collect on promises of eight billion dollars in international commitments. Related reading: A One-State Solution: Advocating Israel's Destruction (Hat tip: Daled Amos) Thursday, December 27 2007December 27 Links
20 Questions For Al-Qaeda’s Number 2 Citizen Journalism Dominates Online News in 2007 The New "Sixth W" Uproar Over Haaretz Editor's Remarks
When contacted this week, Landau said the description was “inaccurate” and “a perversion of what I said.” He said his views had been delivered with “much more sophistication.” Isi Leibler responds: Anyone familiar with Israel's diplomatic history will be aware that the worst fear of government after government was the prospect of the United States alone or in conjunction with another power, seeking to impose a settlement which would be to Israel's political detriment or compromise its vital security interests. See further coverage in the NY Sun. Wednesday, December 26 2007Numbskulls at the WSJ
UPDATE Dec. 27: So does Clifford May. UPDATE Jan. 1: And David Billet. December 26 Links
"Miracle" - Mortally Wounded Soldier Fully Recovers 40 Iranian Jews Immigrate to Israel in Secret Operation Middle East Censors Seek to Limit Web Access 'Fatah al-Islam at work in Gaza' Israeli Escapes Ramallah Lynch Mob
YNet News details Amir Ochanam's escape from a Ramallah lynch mob -- with unexpected help from a pair of Palestinian "guardian angels." Israel Bombs Santa's Workshop
When Israeli forces besieged Bethlehem in 2002, Palestinian fighters, mostly Muslims, took refuge in the church. Israel never bombed the Church of the Nativity during the 2002 siege. Did Israel blow up Santa's workshop too? Lousy Parenting: Blame Israel
According to the Daily Telegraph, Israel is now responsible for the lousy parenting of Palestinian mothers who have no problem dumping their own babies in the streets. Reporter Tim Butcher writes: Babies have been abandoned to die on rubbish tips or in the street because the Israeli security wall that now hems in the West Bank city makes it difficult for distressed mothers to reach the Holy Family Children's Home. Pallywood Xmas Special
Wire service photos demonstrate the distortions of the media. See the photos and more in HonestReporting's latest communique - Pallywood Xmas Special Tuesday, December 25 2007HonestReporting Linkage '07
And now that we've done that, we salute the growth of HR's affiliates. We're proud of the in-roads made in Canada, Brazil, Italy and the UK thanks to the hard work of a handful of dedicated people . Interest in our Leadership Missions to Israel exceeded all expectations. The launch of an HonestReporting Videos page on YouTube, and steady growth of our Teach Kids Peace initiative helped make 2007 even more successful. Last but not least, 2007 was Backspin's most successful too. The addition of social networking, RSS feeds and more videos brought the blog into the world of Web 2.0. The upgrade paid off with more traffic, comments, and posts being picked up by other blogs than in any other year. We look forward to continued growth in 2008. Fisking the Post
Monday, December 24 2007O Brittle Town, Part 2
In a pair of reports from Bethlehem, WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein details the media's "little lies," and how Muslims are hijacking the town. Related reading: O Brittle Town . . . The Grinch Strikes Back
Here's what Woodward's commentary doesn't say: • The security fence is saving Israeli lives. • Israel is accommodating Bethlehem's holiday tourism by easing security restrictions and scaling back security ops in the area. • Bethlehem is having it’s best tourist season since the intifada began. • The town’s Muslim-Christian relations ain't so rosy. • Har Homa was never “Christian land." A lump of coal for Mr. Woodward's stocking. . . . Daily Mail Columnist Is Not a Wise Man
Andrew Alexander continues to misread the Mideast. Read more at HonestReporting UK's latest communique: Daily Mail Columnist Is Not a Wise Man Harrowing Headlines
Combining two unrelated news items into one article runs the risks of harrowing headlines like this: Israel Rejects Hamas Overture, and Presses Housing Construction No Room At the Inn
The evil Israelis haven't crucified Bethlehem yet. UPDATE Dec. 24: Or Nablus, for that matter. Sunday, December 23 2007Pre-Recorded Church Bells For Gaza's Cowed Christians
As the crowded church was belting out hallelujahs, I stepped into the church courtyard for some fresh air. UPDATE Dec. 24: See related AP coverage. Here We Grow Again
Backspin just joined the Friends of Giyus blog ring. The widget -- which appears at the bottom of the left column -- shows the entry from another, randomly selected blog in the ring. We're also in the middle of constructing a blog roll of featured sites. It's in the right column under the Google News feed; at this moment, it's a work in a progress. UPDATE Dec. 23: The blog roll didn't work out as expected. Stay tuned. . . . Bad Santa, Bad AFP
You have to love the imagination that went into this Palestinian P.R. coup. Send Santas to throw stones at a security fence protest near Bethlehem, and let the MSM (in this case, AFP) do the rest: 'Father Christmas' beaten in West Bank demo: organisers As well this photo:
An Israeli soldier tackles a Palestinian protester dressed as Santa Claus or Father Christmas during at a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the village of Umm Salamunah near the biblical West Bank town of Bethlehem. Israeli guards beat five demonstrators during the protest on Friday, organisers said. (AFP/Musa al-Shaer) If this gets any more surreal, we'll see Palestinians send Elvis impersonators and the Phillie Phanatic to the next street clashes. You think they wouldn't? Related reading: Hamas Strong Arms Photo-Op Sderot School Daze
Related viewing: Kindergarden Alert Psychology of Underdogs and Israeli P.R.
Using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and sports, researchers found that people tend to support underdogs. See the full report (pdf format). Daled Amos summarizes and comments: When Israel was portrayed as larger: O Brittle Town . . .
Dry Bones on Bethlehem:
Related reading: 15 Years Till Christians Disappear From PA December 23 Links
Plausible Deniability Up In Smoke Destination: Durban II Friday, December 21 2007Insulted Palestinians Turn on Graffiti Artist
But the irony behind a painting of an Israeli soldier checking a donkey's identity papers -- a jab at the Jewish state's strict security measures -- was lost on some locals, who found it offensive and painted over it. Thursday, December 20 2007Hamas Radio: Live From the Temple Mount
But today, Hamas' Al Aqsa Radio broadcast services from the Temple Mount from 5 a.m. Jerusalem time until 8:20 a.m. During the program, a Hamas official announced the group's station would exclusively broadcast services from the Al Aqsa Mosque every day. In September, Islamic Jihad managed to broadcast from the Temple Mount too. Wednesday, December 19 2007Ask al-Zawahri
The statement, first posted Sunday, invites "individuals, agencies and all media" to submit written questions for al-Zawahri by sending them to the Islamic Web forums where Al-Sahab traditionally posts its messages. Give the man credit for creativity. We'd like to know what questions you'd like to ask al-Zawahri if given the opportunity. Post your questions in the comments section. Dishonest Reporter Award 2007
Tuesday, December 18 2007Egyptian Police Helped Terrorists Enter Gaza
Pondering Paris
We're not talking about Keyword Queen Paris Hilton. Here are assorted observations on the donor conference that netted the PA a few billion dollars in foreign aid: • LA Times Although the international community has pledged almost $9 billion to support the Palestinians since 1993 through similar pledge-fests, less than half the amount of money promised actually materialized, according to a Palestinian source who asked not to be named. The delinquents include members of the Arab League as well as Japan and Italy, the source said. • The NY Times adds even more damningly: Many countries do not fulfill pledges that they make at such conferences. Egypt and other Arab countries are known for pledging funds to the Palestinian Authority that they do not deliver. • The Independent questions the effectiveness of any plan that doesn’t include Gaza: "What is the point of institution-building if there is no Palestinian unity?" said a European diplomat. "It's not Northern Ireland, whatever Tony Blair says. Building a Palestinian state without Gaza would be a colossal waste of money." • Khaled Abu Toameh of the Jerusalem Post weighs in: The only way to undermine Hamas is not by channeling billions of dollars to the PA leadership, but by offering the Palestinians a better alternative to the Islamist movement. In order for Fatah to regain the confidence of the Palestinian public, it needs to reform itself and pave the way for new faces. Travel Advisories
It seemed churlish to point out to Mr Blair that he travelled with the sort of gun-laden, earpiece-wearing retinue unavailable to most tourists. What would it take for Blair to spend a night in Sderot? Collateral Damage Not Israel's Fault
Six passers-by, including three children, were wounded by shrapnel, according to Palestinian medics in Gaza. The car appeared to have been filled with explosives when it was hit by an Israeli rocket. Monday, December 17 2007No Qassams, No Terror, No Responsibility?
The Guardian and BBC ignore Palestinian responsibilities for economic hardships.See HonestReporting UK's latest communique: No Qassams, No Terror, No Responsibility? Israeli Journalists Under Investigation
We blogged her dispatches in July. According to Goldman, the police are also investigating Ron Ben-Yishai and Tzur Shehaf. Ben-Yishai was the first journalist to reach Deir Ezzor, where Israeli struck a Syrian facility thought to be associated with nuclear weapons. Shehaf wrote about a trip to Lebanon for a Hebrew travel magazine. UPDATE December 18: Treppenwitz and Israel Matzav weigh in. Who's right?
Whither the Terror?
A medal to anyone who spots a reference to Palestinian terror or Qassams in The Guardian's leader. Mughrabi Gate Returns
Get ready for mudslinging. Excavations to resume. Here's the real dirt. Sunday, December 16 2007December 16 Links
Qassam Wounds Infant in Kibbutz Zikim Israel Tries to Buff Its Image Saudis' $1.4bn Support for Palestinians In Doubt Ethnic Cleansing?
The rights of the Palestinian refugees have been ignored for six decades by a world that has wished them away. But the Middle East will never know peace or stability until they are granted justice. In 1948-49, around the conflict that Israelis refer to as their War of Independence and that Palestinians call the Catastrophe, some 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed to make way for the creation of the Jewish state. In 1967, during the Six-Day War, 400,000 Palestinians were expelled by the Israeli military, according to Amnesty International. Mitch Bard responds to the ethnic cleansing charge effectively enough. As for Rosen, the man's consistent in his views towards Israel. Southern Jerusalem Back on the Frontline?
Will media coverage of Har Homa embolden Palestinian gunmen to renew gunfire on Jerusalem's southern neighborhoods? Lenny Ben-David doesn't rule out the possibility: During the first two years of the second intifada, more than 400 shooting attacks were unleashed on the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo and its 40,000 residents from the nearby Arab town of Beit Jala. Although the town was predominantly Christian, Beit Jala was infiltrated by Fatah's Tanzim gunmen who shot at Gilo, hoping for Israeli retaliation against the local residents. Gilo residents began to evacuate. Belatedly the Israeli government provided cement barriers and bullet-proof glass to protect the Jerusalem neighborhood's residents. Al-Dura Video Keeps Unraveling
Philippe Karsenty, who is appealing his 2006 defamation conviction—for declaring on his Media-Ratings site that the al Dura news report was a blatant fake—obtained medical records proving that Jamal’s wounds were treated by an Israeli surgeon in 1994. Now the surgeon, Yehuda David, has confirmed this information on a December 12 newscast on Israel’s Arutz 10 TV. Watch the Arutz 10 report in Hebrew. The Metula News Agency translated it into French. We're not aware of an English translation yet. For background reading, see HonestReporting's timeline of the al-Dura controversy. Friday, December 14 2007Hezbollah's Puppet Masters
Reportedly, Nasrallah is no longer in control of the organization's military wing, which is now headed by Nasrallah's deputy Sheikh Na'im Kassem.
UPDATE: Dec. 15: Of course, Hezbollah denies this. CBC's Terror Double Standard
One news network is less than consistent on the use of the "T-word." See HonestReporting Canada's latest communique: CBC's Terror Double Standard. Thursday, December 13 2007Same Old Blame Game
This was predictable enough: Damascus blames Israel for the car bombing that killed Lebanese General Francois al-Hajj. The same regime blames Israel for bird flu. |
