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Thursday, July 31 2008Hamas Gears Up For the Next Round
Credit Reuters for excellent footage of Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committee terrorists training and making rockets. So much for the cease fire. (Via Tom Gross) Looking Local
The smaller media needs watching too. See HonestReporting's latest communique: Looking Local. Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
AP picked up on Palestinian summer camps. Did this photo make your local paper?
A Palestinian girl holds a homemade model of a rocket that reads 'Al-Quds', the Arabic word used for Jerusalem, in Hebrew and Arabic on it during Islamic Jihad rally in Gaza City, Wednesday, July 30, 2008. The rally was held for children who are part of summer camps run by Islamic Jihad funded organizations. Israel and Hamas are observing a cease-fire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip since June 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Related reading: Hamas Summer Camp Teaches Gaza Kids to Hate, Kill Zionist Media Conspiracy Exposed
An Iranian cartoonist outed our sniveling international media conspiracy. Via Memri.
Quote of the Day
"You Jews should be aware: You will never, but never have peace with Hamas. Islam, as the ideology that guides them, will not allow them to achieve a peace agreement with the Jews. They believe that tradition says that the Prophet Mohammed fought against the Jews and that therefore they must continue to fight them to the death." . . . . "Joseph," formerly known as Masab Yousef, a Palestinian who converted to Christianity, interviewed by Haaretz. His father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is Hamas' most prominent figure in the West Bank. UPDATE Aug. 3: The full interview's now online. Wednesday, July 30 2008Olmert Resigns: Now What?
Aug. 24, 2008: Deadline for Kadima party personalities to join the race. Sept. 17, 2008: Party members vote for new leader in primaries. Oct. 26, 2008: Deadline for new party leader to form a Knesset coalition and present the government (i.e., the cabinet) to President Shimon Peres for approval. The situation gets sticky if the new Kadima leader fails to muster a coalition. The Post explains the "fine print." In case the elected leader fails, the president customarily grants another 90 days to form a government; after the 90 days are through, in case no coalition is formed, a general election is scheduled, thus potentially allowing Olmert to remain in power until March 2009. Hamas' Kiddy Corps
Haaretz has footage of the latest Hamas summer camp. Why isn't the MSM picking up on the Palestinian kiddy corps. NGOs Slam Hamas, Fatah Torture
Followup from Monday: Two NGO reports slamming Hamas and Fatah for torturing Palestinian prisoners are now online. See Human Rights Watch and Al Haq. Facebook Smackdown: By the Numbers
The Jewish Internet Defense Force isn't saying how they pulled it off, but they are in the process of dismantling what is perhaps Facebook's largest anti-Israel group, "Israel" is not a country!... ... Delist it from Facebook as a country! 150 videos posted by the group 1,000 items posted by the group 1,500 discussion topics 20,804 members of "Israel is not a country" remaining to be eliminated from the group 48,000 members of "Israel is not a country" at the group's height 1 response from Facebook to the JIDF, which called the group "legitimate political discourse." Sources: Israel" is not a country, Jerusalem Post My Seven Favorite Blogs
Making this list wasn't so easy. Feeds sterilize the enjoyment of a good post. Entries blur over the day. There are other blogs I wish I had more time for. And this list doesn't reflect the time I spend on other blogs that fill other important niches. For that, I must suffice with a salute to everyone on my blogroll. It's worth pausing to savor good blogging, if only because a good blogger should be a connoisseur of good blogging. Here are my seven faves in no particular order: • I used to say, "I want to be a cartoonist when I grow up." After meeting Yaakov Kirschen, I figured out Dry Bones' enduring appeal: the best cartoonists never really "grow up." • If Michael Totten worked for a newspaper, he'd have a Pulitzer or three. Journalism students take note. • Nobody stays on top of the Arab language media like Memri and I waited patiently for the launch of the Memri Blog. The daily findings were worth the wait. • The well-connected, consistent Jim Romensko has a broad knowledge of the media industry and the Poynter Institute's backing. That's a recipe for solid blogging. • If you haven't noticed, Professor Richard Landes has a lot to say about media issues beyond l'affaire al-Dura. I'm learning a lot from his style at The Augean Stables. • Media monitoring's not his thing, but if I had to choose one blogger to replace me, I'd hand over my keyboard and mouse to Daled Amos. His combination of thoughtful posts and understanding of the Mideast conflict give me confidence he can handle the media issues I deal with every day in an articulate way. • Steve Rubel forgets more about Web 2.0 than I'll ever know. Micro Persuasion is but one tool in his Batbelt -- you're cheating yourself if you don't explore Rubel's social media links. What does that say about the future of blogging? I now invite everyone to list their favorite blogs (no more than seven, please) in the comments section. Tuesday, July 29 2008Report Details Anti-Semitism at Comment is Free
Jonathan Hoffman, who authored the 57-page study, has submitted his findings to a UK parliamentary committee and a State Dept. office monitoring anti-Semitism. Some highlights of Hoffman's study: • The majority writers commissioned by CiF view the Jewish character of Israel as undesirable or unimportant. • The sheer volume of anti-Zionist commentary promotes anti-Semitic discourse. • Victims of CiF's anti-Semitism are saddled with the responsibility of monitoring the posts and comments. • The extent of the section's anti-Semitism contravenes The Guardian's own standards. Read the report (pdf format) here. Bulldozers: 'An Israeli Weapon of Choice'
Lost in the understandable hysteria was the tragic irony and thick symbolism of construction equipment being used by Palestinians to inflict harm on Israelis. Though few would dare say it last week for fear of being seen as justifying the attacks, the truth is that the bulldozer has long been an Israeli weapon of choice in this uneven conflict. And the two Palestinian attackers had experienced first-hand the violence a bulldozer can inflict before using the tool as a weapon themselves. Memo to MacKinnon: Rachel Corrie's death was an accident. Not-So-Independent Media
Hamas banned three Fatah-affiliated newspapers from Gaza and has threatened several Palestinians journalists. Fatah too, is pressuring journalists. The tension leaves the Palestinian Media Union with little room to maneuver. The Jerusalem Post writes: The PMU also warned its members of favoring one side over the other. "We must remain neutral," it said. "We must avoid serving as mouthpieces for any party." A nice statement at face value. But Palestinian journalism was never renowned for its independence. Print and broadcast news enjoy zero press freedom, and are largely owned by the factions themselves. Even John McCain and Barack Obama don't have to contend with that level of partisanship. Or maybe not. Monday, July 28 2008Six Arguments Against The One State Solution
The only question now is how much longer this negation can go on, and how long it will be before a state premised on it is superseded by its opposite, an affirmative, genuinely democratic, secular and multi-cultural state, the only kind that can offer Jewish Israelis and Muslim and Christian Palestinians alike a future free of discrimination, occupation, fear and violence. The picture Makdisi paints is too good to be true. Last year, I offered Five Arguments Against The One-State Solution. The sixth reason occured to me now. (Some of the links are updated.) 1. There's no shame in the concept of a Jewish state for the Jewish people. 2. The one-state solution negates Palestinian national aspirations just as it negates Jewish national aspirations. 3. Jews and Arabs don't share the language, history, religion, culture, or values required to make a bi-national effort work. Case in point: without an iron-fisted ruler, Yugoslavia disintegrated along ethnic lines and "Balkanization" became part of the world's lexicon. 4. Among themselves, the Arabs have no history of successful multi-ethnic states. Lebanon is spiraling into civil war. Sectarian violence continue in Iraq (don't rule out a partition). And Christian Arabs are fleeing the Mideast in droves. What's to inspire Israeli confidence? 5. The South African model doesn't apply. Among the many differences between the two regions, Benny Pogrund points out that South Africa's blacks and whites had a cohesive leadership who could sell power-sharing to their constituencies, as well as economic interdependence. This is not the case with Israelis and Palestinians. 6. How can Israel possibly negotiate a one-state solution with West Bank Palestinians as if Hamastan -- which the PA may now designate as a "rebel region" -- doesn't exist? Observer's Myopic View of Jerusalem
Peter Beaumont divides Jerusalem but focuses on one side only. Read HonestReporting UK's latest communique: Observer's Myopic View of Jerusalem Independent Corroboration
A report by a Palestinian human rights organization documents arbitrary arrests and torture by both Hamas and Fatah-affiliated police in the past year. Later this week, Human Rights Watch is to release a similar report detailing systematic abuses in Gaza and West Bank jails. Credit AP with some good journalism, independently corroborating the accounts of torture. Sunday, July 27 2008July 27 Links
Al-Jazeera Uses Material From Anti-Semitic Group Oil-Rich Arabs Owe Millions in Promised Support Cyber-Nationalism: The Brave New World Of Hatred R U Really Reading Online? Who Occupies Gaza?
Among the victims of a violent Gaza weekend was the Wafa News Agency. Their Gaza offices were ransacked by Hamas. In response, Wafa, which is the official news service of the PA and loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, stated online: Head of Palestine News and Information Agency WAFA, Riyadh al-Hassan, said on Saturday that Hamas takeover and destruction of the Agency's equipment in Gaza will not hinder our national duty to expose the crimes of the occupation. Considering that Israel no longer occupies Gaza (the Washington Post adroitly elaborates on this point), the only occupiers Wafa can be referring to is Hamas. Thursday, July 24 2008It's the Local Papers, Stupid
In short, the Arab Lobby regards papers such as The Capital as important in its propaganda campaign to win over grassroots American public opinion - which is why it is incumbent upon Israel's supporters to take local media just as seriously. Party Monsters, Part 2
Yesterday, we blogged the birthday bash Al-Jazeera threw for Samir Quntar. Memri translated the video that led to Israeli sanctions against the Qatar-based news service. Don't tell me that anyone throwing a party for this child-killer can also be a trusted source of news. Watch the video and judge for yourself.
Wednesday, July 23 2008Copycat Attack - Copycat Headlines
Initial BBC and AFP headlines ignore victims in second bulldozer attack. See HonestReporting's latest communique: Copycat Attack - Copycat Headlines. Party Monsters
At least one Lebanese party for Samir Quntar was organized by Al-Jazeera: The party, held in Beirut, was organized by the Al-Jazeera bureau there to honor Kuntar on the occasion of his release from Israeli prison. He was hailed as a hero who carried out a brave military operation against the Jewish state . . . What next from Al Jazeera? Annual commemorations for Seung-Hui Cho? If Nobody Claims Responsibility, Is It Still Terror?
Is there a reluctance to call yesterday's bulldozer rampage "terror" because it was carried out by a lone individual? AP seems to suggest just that: Like the perpetrator of the previous attack, the driver in Tuesday's incident was a Palestinian from east Jerusalem with an Israeli residence permit and he drove the same type of front loader, police said. Israeli police called it a "terror attack" but no group immediately claimed responsibility. "Terror" can be spontaneous, and a "terrorist" doesn't necessarily have to have the backing of any organization. UPDATE 12:20 pm: The BBC makes the same ridiculous assertion: Israeli police called it a "terror attack", although there was no immediate claim of responsibility by any Palestinian militant organisation. UPDATE 1:50 pm: As does the Daily Telegraph: Israeli officials described the attack as terrorism although there was no immediate evidence that the attacker was working for any Palestinian militant group. Tuesday, July 22 2008Bulldozing the Headlines
A new bulldozer rampage in Jerusalem today left 16 people injured. The driver was shot dead. Police describe this as a copycat attack from a similar attack earlier this month. Unfortunately, we're seeing copycat headline problems too. The BBC's first response to terror, as we critiqued last time around, is just as woeful. Here’s a screen grab we made from this page:
Vehicle attack? Sounds more like a silly video game than a Palestinian terror attack. Unfortunately, the Beeb's not the only news service bulldozing today’s headlines: Jerusalem Bulldozer Driver Shot Dead: Police Tractor Driver Shot Dead in Jerusalem Monday, July 21 2008Israeli Media Ups the Ante
Usually you expect the media to present a debate - to present facts from both sides of an issue. In this case the media was unified. That's why I say they had an agenda. Even though my heart was with the families, I think the media pressured the government to do something that was against the national interests of Israel. I believe we will pay for it with Gilad Schalit, that as a consequence Israel will have to give up a lot more prisoners to bring him back than would have otherwise been the case . . . . Read the whole thing and post your comments below. Sunday, July 20 2008Collateral Damage Waiting to Happen
Jerusalem Post: Hezbollah is buying land in southern Lebanese villages to stash missiles, launchers and set up positions. Sounds like an awful lot of collateral damage waiting to happen. It's deja vu all over again. Thursday, July 17 2008Hands Off The Rabbit
Hamas childrens' TV show rabbit caught stealing; kids vote to cut off his hand. Click to watch.
I can't wait to see Hamas give the dirty work to an Elmer Fudd rip-off. (Via Memri) Article Corrected, Nobody Told the Chronicle
Reporter Hugh MacLeod wrote -- incorrectly -- that Dalal Mughrabi hijacked two busses full of soldiers. The busses were actually full of civilians. Let's see if the San Francisco Chronicle -- which reprinted MacLeod's piece -- corrects the record too. Editors republish articles from other papers all the time. Isn't there a system for papers republishing articles to be automatically notified of subsequent corrections? AP's Nazi 'Gesture'
Israel Matzav and I wonder how AP can describe Samir Quntar's Nazi salute as a "gesture?"
Released prisoners Samir Kantar, left, gestures with other prisoners as they symbolically breakthrough a makeshift prison bars, during celebrations for their release from Israeli prison, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 16, 2008. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah greeted the five Lebanese militants who were released by Israel, at the massive rally in south Beirut, his first public appearance since January. (AP Photo) Flipping the bird is too obviously rude, and Kuntar clearly put on too much weight for a celebratory a chest bump. But don't think he's introducing a new trend. Hezbollah's been giving the Nazi "gesture" for years. UPDATE July 18: Adolf Kuntar -- 'nuff said. Three Out Takes You Might Have Missed
Add to the two Israeli bodies the bodies of 1,200 Lebanese civilians, nearly 400 of them children under the age of 13, sacrificed by Hezbollah to secure Kantar’s return. Add to that the 4,400 wounded civilians, of whom almost 700 are permanently disabled. Add to that those killed and wounded, most of them children, by the cluster bombs still littering large swaths of South Lebanon. Add to that the billions of dollars in destroyed homes, infrastructure and livelihoods. • France 24 raises possibility of Kuntar entering politics:
According to Sayyed Franjieh, a Beirut-base political analyst, “it wouldn’t be surprising to see Qantar as a Druze candidate on the opposition list in the Baabda district.” This district, located in the Mount Lebanon region, has an important Shia and pro-Hezbollah electorate as well as numerous Christian supporters of General Michel Aoun, two pillars of the Lebanese opposition. • Last word goes to the Washington Post, which quotes Einat Haran’s grandmother: "He's a hero? Because he killed a 4-year-old? Because he smashed her head with his rifle?" Terror Sponsor Listing For ISM?
The organization's clearly worried about being named co-conspirators. Wednesday, July 16 2008July 16 Links
Prisoner Deal Reopens An Israeli Wound AP Complicity As Taliban Execute Two Women
Hamas Trains Gunmen in Gaza Synagogues American Journalism Still A Model Looking For Green in Israeli Green Tech New York Times: A Year-Long Analysis
Does a long term study of the New York Times reveal a bias against Israel? See HonestReporting's special report: New York Times: A Year-Long Analysis Disparity of Images, Disparity of Values
A Jerusalem Post staff-ed about this week’s images showing a yawning disparity between Israeli and Arab values. While two coffins have been sent to Israel and await positive identification by Israeli forensics experts, the Lebanese are planning to celebrate the release of Samir Kuntar. I was impressed with the Post's points about the power of visuals, so I reprinted the editorial with links to the relevant images. Continue reading "Disparity of Images, Disparity of Values" Tuesday, July 15 2008Kuntar File Declassified
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs translated an article from Yediot Aharonot about Kuntar, File No. 578/79 and the deaths of Daniel, Einat and Yael Haran (pictured) in 1979. Canadian Server Removes Terror Sites
An internet watchdog finally succeeded in getting three Hamas and Hezbollah web sites removed from Canadian servers. Jonathan Halevi’s pressure on the Montreal-based server, iWeb, got a boost from recent CBC coverage. Although these three sites were hosted in Canada, the Jerusalem Post notes: According to HaLevi, as much as 95% of online activity powered by terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida and Hamas, is hosted by American servers. Monday, July 14 2008Spotlight on Sepah News
To shed a little light on Sepah News, Backspin editor Pesach Benson talked to Meir Javedanfar (pictured), a Mideast analyst specializing in Iranian affairs. An Iranian-Israeli, Javedanfar is also director of Meepas.com (Middle East Economic and Political Analysis). What is Sepah News? It’s the arm of the Revolutionary Guards. It’s one of many news agencies in Iran reporting on the views and activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Its audience is the Iranian public, current and former members of the Guards, and foreigners around the world. Describe its relationship with the Iranian regime. Basically, it’s the media outlet, a very important part of the Islamic administration in Tehran. It’s the administration’s way of showing the thinking and activities of the Revolutionary Guards to the world. It allows the Guards to flex their muscles in the media. Many people in Iran believe the Guard’s views are not properly presented in Iranian and foreign media. Not all Iranian media is interested in everything the Revolutionary Guards do. Can Sepah be considered a legitimate news service? Yes. It’s a source in Iran. If you want to know what’s going on in the Revolutionary Guards, Sepah’s the web site to go to. If you want general news about Iran, there are much better sites. Any idea why they manipulated the photo? Maybe to cover up the mishap and to boast Iran’s capabilities. They’re worried about a possible Western attack. They don’t want the West to use its military muscle to force them to accept Western conditions for the nuclear program.
Does Sepah have a history of fudging news, or could this photoshopped image of the missile test be considered an isolated incident? I don’t know about Sepah doing this before. What is the relationship between Sepah and Western news services? Sepah hopes that as many people in the West who speak Farsi and are interested read its content. That’s all there is. It doesn’t have any real relationship with the Western media. AFP believed the pictures were from a legitimate source. The foreign press wasn’t allowed to attend the missile launch. And if you want photos, then Sepah’s the place to go to. When [AFP] realized the picture was doctored, they pulled it.
It’s the same. It’s the media arm of the Revolutionary Guards. Al-Manar probably gets better funding though. They have their own TV station. Sepah doesn’t. The State Dept. has already designated the Revolutionary Guards as a terror organization. Should Sepah News get the same designation? No. It doesn’t spew hate. It basically reports on what the Revolutionary Guards believe. In terms of analysis of Iranian news, its pretty poor. I’m sure one its intended audiences are the Western news agencies. I think the Guards use it to show their strength and ideology, and perhaps for psychological warfare purposes.
Sourcing the Rumor
After Israel dismissed allegations it was training in Iraq for a strike on Iran, Aaron Klein of WorldNetDaily suggests another source for the rumors: Iran. Sunday, July 13 2008July 13 Links
No Repeat of Osirak Experts Map Hi-Tech Israeli Attack Hezbollah Wages On-Air War Against U.S. The Telegraph's Moral Equivalence
Today's poison pen comes from veteran cartoonist Nicholas Garland at the Daily Telegraph:
UK readers might understand the cartoon in a slightly different context -- revelations that knife crimes claim 60 victims a day, a shocking 35 percent rise in parts of the UK. Nonetheless, as Colin Rubinstein aptly pointed out (before Iran's discredited missile test), there's no comparison between Israeli and Iranian atomic programs: Despite parallels drawn to Israel's alleged nuclear capability, Israel is not violating international commitments (it didn't sign the NPT); it hasn't threatened to use nuclear weapons against its neighbours (it doesn't even confirm it has them); and its neighbours haven't sought a similar hedge against it.
Canadian Media: Errors and Distortions
A guide for taking action. See HonestReporting Canada's latest communique: Canadian Media: Errors and Distortions. Friday, July 11 2008Enjoy A Happy Moment
Not too long ago, Hamas' Khalil al-Haya said: "No one will enjoy a happy moment seeing Hamas holding a rifle in the face of a resistance fighter." Connoisseurs of Mideast news will therefore enjoy this rare happy moment: Hamas Arrests Gaza Rocket Squad After Two Qassams Hit Negev Thursday, July 10 2008Iran Found Flubbing Photo Fakery
You may have seen images of four rockets blasting skyward in major newspapers or websites like the BBC or NY Times, to name a few. Look again. Iran is engaged in a little Fauxtography. The altered image:
Here's what's known so far. The photo first appeared on the web site of Sepah News, the PR news service of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. A NY Times media blog, The Lede, explains what followed: Agence France-Presse said that it obtained the image from the Web site of Sepah News, the media arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, on Wednesday. But there was no sign of it there later in the day. Today, The Associated Press distributed what appeared to be a nearly identical photo from the same source, but without the fourth missile. . . . AFP retracted the photo, suggesting, The 2nd Right missile has apparently been added in digital retouch to cover a grounded missile that may have failed during the test. AFP later followed up by showing the photo to several experts who concurred that the image was manipulated. So how did AP obtain a photo of three missiles while AFP got four? Editor & Publisher's Joe Strupp put that very question to AP: AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll referred E&P's requests for further information to spokesman Paul Colford. He said only that AP obtained its image from the same Sepah News site as other news outlets. Perhaps the best assessment of Sepah News' flubbed fakery comes from the people who know Photoshop as well as anybody -- an editor's note at Photoshop News: Editor’s Note: Even from the small images above, it’s obvious to anybody who knows anything about digital imaging, that the image has been altered. Aside from the cloned clouds of dust, the sky surrounding the 4th missile obviously doesn’t blend naturally. Clearly Sepah News service doesn’t employ the best Photoshop artists…file this one under OOOPS! One positive development is the closer scrutiny of the Revolutionary Guards' so-called "media arm." The Guards already earned itself a place on the State Dept. terror list, so there's no reason Sepah News shouldn't be designated too. The logic the Washington Times once applied to Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV goes for Sepah News too: Al Manar had hoped to stave off the designation as a terrorist entity by framing criticism of its connection to Hezbollah as an effort to deprive it of its First Amendment rights. But as the Treasury Department made clear, the issue is not al Manar's role as a television station but its role in facilitating the activities of Hezbollah, an organization that has killed more Americans than every other terrorist group save al Qaeda. Journalist's Abuse Claims Refuted
An investigation concludes that allegations of abuse are baseless. See HonestReporting UK's latest communique: Journalist's Abuse Claims Refuted Wednesday, July 9 2008Israeli Al-Qaida Cell Busted
The two Negev residents confessed to providing Al-Qaida handlers info on strategic sites and public places, including army bases, Ben-Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv's Azrieli Towers (pictured) and the Ashkelon power plant. They also gave handlers details on how to infiltrate Israel through the West Bank. July 9 Links
Fear of Calling A Terrorist A Terrorist Hacking Back Iran Seeks Seat on Security Council Third Man Climbs NY Times Building Another Truce Violation
Why is Aaron Klein of WorldNetDaily the only reporter noting that yesterday's Gaza "work accident" indicates a clear breach of Israel's truce with Hamas? The explosion underscores the Gaza-based terrorists' utilization of a cease-fire agreed to with Israel last month to rearm, train and produce advance weaponry for use against Israel. Tuesday, July 8 2008Humanizing the Murderer
MSM looks for "motives" to explain brutal bulldozer attack. See HonestReporting's latest communique: Humanizing the Murderer. Scripted Clashes Continue For MSM
Reuters picks up on the latest fence protest at Bil’in. Unfortunately, it's the home of scripted clashes and playing for the cameras. An Apology For What?
Now that the BBC apologized for airing graphic footage of last week's bulldozer attack, Caroline Glick compares it to the Ramallah lynch. That incident, the only other example of Palestinian terror caught on film, also elicited an apology from the Italian news service: In this case, as in the case of the lynching eight years ago, the reason the BBC apologized is not because the film's images were too gruesome, but because it strayed from the accepted narratives of the Palestinian war against Israel. To maintain the narratives, "the right editorial balance between the demands of accuracy and the potential impact on the program's audience," is one that engenders the belief that Israel is either morally indistinguishable from the Palestinians, or that Israel is morally inferior to the Palestinians. |
