Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Who Ended the 6-Month Cease-Fire?
by Shiko Behar
On December 30, 2008 the New York Times published its first editorial on the recent bombings of Gaza. The editors open their text with the following claim: “Hamas must bear responsibility for ending a six-month cease-fire this month with a barrage of rocket attacks into Israeli territory.”
While the editors assign the blame conveniently and squarely on Hamas, this nevertheless remains a factually erroneous statement contradicting reporting by Israeli newspapers (in both Hebrew and English), the British press, Amnesty International and – perhaps curiously enough – November 2008 reporting by the NYT itself.
On November 12, the paper’s Jerusalem reporter, Isabel Kershner, wrote: “At least six Palestinian militants were killed in a clash and an Israeli airstrike on Nov. 4 after an Israeli force entered Gaza for the first time in five months.”
Therefore, the rockets into Israeli territory after nearly six months of cease-fire followed – rather than preceded – the Israeli invasion into, and the killings of Palestinians inside, the occupied Gaza Strip. On November 14, the paper’s Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Ethan Bronner, re-stated the same facts reported by Kershner; he additionally voiced them in his accompanying interview on NYT radio – both can be read/heard here.
More crucially, Israeli and international sources from the first week of November 2008 – sources that are scholarly (and otherwise) more reliable than the NYT – shed further light on the misleading claim by the NYT editors. They include, but are by no means limited to:
The Israeli Haaretz, November 5, 2008: “Israel Defense Forces troops yesterday killed a Hamas gunman and wounded two others in the first armed clash in the Gaza Strip since a cease-fire was declared there in June. […] An Israeli army spokeswoman said troops had entered the territory.”
The Israeli Yediot Ahronot, November 5, 2008: “For the first time since the ceasefire took effect in June, IDF forces operated deep in the Gaza Strip Tuesday night.”
(Note: had the NYT editors bothered to consult Hebrew sources they would have easily found that the Hebrew version of the news item cited above is even clearer.)
The Times (UK), November 5, 2008: “A five-month truce between Israel and the Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip was foundering yesterday after Israeli special forces entered the besieged territory and fought.”
Amnesty International, November 10, 2008: “A spate of Israeli and Palestinian attacks and counter-attacks in the past 24 hours could spell the end of a five-and-a-half-month ceasefire. […] The killing of six Palestinian militants in Gaza by Israeli forces in a ground incursion and air strikes on 4 November was followed by a barrage of dozens of Palestinian rockets.”
The Guardian, November 5, 2008: “Hamas militants fired more than 35 rockets into Israel today, hours after the Israeli army killed six people inside the Gaza Strip in the first major exchange of fire since a truce took effect in June.”
The Independent, November 5, 2008: “Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip fired more than 35 rockets towards Israel today, the army and the Islamist group said, hours after the Israeli army killed six militants in the coastal territory.”
On December 30, 2008 the New York Times published its first editorial on the recent bombings of Gaza. The editors open their text with the following claim: “Hamas must bear responsibility for ending a six-month cease-fire this month with a barrage of rocket attacks into Israeli territory.”
While the editors assign the blame conveniently and squarely on Hamas, this nevertheless remains a factually erroneous statement contradicting reporting by Israeli newspapers (in both Hebrew and English), the British press, Amnesty International and – perhaps curiously enough – November 2008 reporting by the NYT itself.
On November 12, the paper’s Jerusalem reporter, Isabel Kershner, wrote: “At least six Palestinian militants were killed in a clash and an Israeli airstrike on Nov. 4 after an Israeli force entered Gaza for the first time in five months.”
Therefore, the rockets into Israeli territory after nearly six months of cease-fire followed – rather than preceded – the Israeli invasion into, and the killings of Palestinians inside, the occupied Gaza Strip. On November 14, the paper’s Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Ethan Bronner, re-stated the same facts reported by Kershner; he additionally voiced them in his accompanying interview on NYT radio – both can be read/heard here.
More crucially, Israeli and international sources from the first week of November 2008 – sources that are scholarly (and otherwise) more reliable than the NYT – shed further light on the misleading claim by the NYT editors. They include, but are by no means limited to:
The Israeli Haaretz, November 5, 2008: “Israel Defense Forces troops yesterday killed a Hamas gunman and wounded two others in the first armed clash in the Gaza Strip since a cease-fire was declared there in June. […] An Israeli army spokeswoman said troops had entered the territory.”
The Israeli Yediot Ahronot, November 5, 2008: “For the first time since the ceasefire took effect in June, IDF forces operated deep in the Gaza Strip Tuesday night.”
(Note: had the NYT editors bothered to consult Hebrew sources they would have easily found that the Hebrew version of the news item cited above is even clearer.)
The Times (UK), November 5, 2008: “A five-month truce between Israel and the Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip was foundering yesterday after Israeli special forces entered the besieged territory and fought.”
Amnesty International, November 10, 2008: “A spate of Israeli and Palestinian attacks and counter-attacks in the past 24 hours could spell the end of a five-and-a-half-month ceasefire. […] The killing of six Palestinian militants in Gaza by Israeli forces in a ground incursion and air strikes on 4 November was followed by a barrage of dozens of Palestinian rockets.”
The Guardian, November 5, 2008: “Hamas militants fired more than 35 rockets into Israel today, hours after the Israeli army killed six people inside the Gaza Strip in the first major exchange of fire since a truce took effect in June.”
The Independent, November 5, 2008: “Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip fired more than 35 rockets towards Israel today, the army and the Islamist group said, hours after the Israeli army killed six militants in the coastal territory.”
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Media Campaign Against MSU
Recently, in the media you have seen many Zionists speaking about UCI and their views on the events the MSU has organized this past spring.
You had a clown for a rabbi appear on a local radio station and address his "concerns" about UCI. He claims our week was designed at "creating an atmosphere of hate on campus" and that "MSU's only goal is to intimidate Jewish students."
Complete lies and fabrications.
The MSU's goal of the "Israel: Apartheid Resurrected" week was to inform and educate the campus about the oppression of millions of people in Palestine at the hands of Israel with the full backing of our government.
If our true goal was to intimidate Jewish students on campus, why not then dedicate our entire campus events towards this goal? We put on events all year long, addressing many different issues.
Have we ever organized events in which we demonized Judaism or the Jewish people? NO, quite the contrary, we even brought a rabbi to speak about the differences between Judaism and Zionism.
In our programs, you will hear us criticizing Zionism, not Judaism. Zionism is not a religion but a man-made political ideology (just like socialism or capitalism). An attack on Zionism is an attack on its racist ideas and the oppressive practices of its subscribers, not an attack on a specific religion or its followers.
You also had an AFI member who appeared on FOX News with Walid Shoebat, a self-proclaimed ex-terrorist. Walid claims that he used to be a terrorist with the PLO, but provides absolutely no documentation or proof that would support his claims.
He says, "MSU is a group that openly gives funds for terrorism, openly calls for the toppling of the United States of America, and openly raises funds for terrorism."
His claims have absolutely no basis. There is absolutely no evidence to back these claims because they are complete LIES, which is not surprising coming from Walid Shoebat, who makes a living off lies and deceiving the masses.
This same AFI member documents almost all of the MSU events, so please provide some evidence to support these absolute ridiculous claims.
If the media was really interested in why the MSU does what it does, why not ask the MSU to explain for themselves? Why bring some off campus rabbi or MSU-hater to answer these questions?
It is clear that there is a certain agenda that the media is trying to push along.
You had a clown for a rabbi appear on a local radio station and address his "concerns" about UCI. He claims our week was designed at "creating an atmosphere of hate on campus" and that "MSU's only goal is to intimidate Jewish students."
Complete lies and fabrications.
The MSU's goal of the "Israel: Apartheid Resurrected" week was to inform and educate the campus about the oppression of millions of people in Palestine at the hands of Israel with the full backing of our government.
If our true goal was to intimidate Jewish students on campus, why not then dedicate our entire campus events towards this goal? We put on events all year long, addressing many different issues.
Have we ever organized events in which we demonized Judaism or the Jewish people? NO, quite the contrary, we even brought a rabbi to speak about the differences between Judaism and Zionism.
In our programs, you will hear us criticizing Zionism, not Judaism. Zionism is not a religion but a man-made political ideology (just like socialism or capitalism). An attack on Zionism is an attack on its racist ideas and the oppressive practices of its subscribers, not an attack on a specific religion or its followers.
You also had an AFI member who appeared on FOX News with Walid Shoebat, a self-proclaimed ex-terrorist. Walid claims that he used to be a terrorist with the PLO, but provides absolutely no documentation or proof that would support his claims.
He says, "MSU is a group that openly gives funds for terrorism, openly calls for the toppling of the United States of America, and openly raises funds for terrorism."
His claims have absolutely no basis. There is absolutely no evidence to back these claims because they are complete LIES, which is not surprising coming from Walid Shoebat, who makes a living off lies and deceiving the masses.
This same AFI member documents almost all of the MSU events, so please provide some evidence to support these absolute ridiculous claims.
If the media was really interested in why the MSU does what it does, why not ask the MSU to explain for themselves? Why bring some off campus rabbi or MSU-hater to answer these questions?
It is clear that there is a certain agenda that the media is trying to push along.
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