Media Coverage
Israel and Palestine
Israel and Palestine
Are the American media reporting events in Israel and Palestine, or is there something similar to the "liberal media bias"? Is the coverage "fair and balanced"? How can a reader tell if he is getting:
- ad-hoc reporting,
- news (with a semblance of balance),
- analysis (hopefully fair),
- opinion, or
- propaganda (a systematic mis-representation)?
One idea to sort out the truth: Ask
- what is the content (is the headline direct, guarded, innocuous? Is one point of view sandwiche
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Controlling the News?
Controlling the News:
... Recently, a mid-level executive of one of the three major American television networks sent on over 1500 pages of memos from the corporate offices of his network in New York to the head of their television news division. These memos contain a multitude of instructions concerning the presentation of national and international news for the network's viewers...
(Feb 10) ...It is not permitted at this point to use or refer to any film clips, stills or articles emanating from any French source whatsoever.
(March 2) ...further references to the religious views of the President are to be deleted...
(March 22) ...it is not conducive to maintaining an overall neutrality in the Palestine uprisings to show any pictures of the American peacenik that was run over by the Israeli army bulldozer. This is only to be mentioned as a tragic accident for which the IDF is truly saddened.
(March 25) ...no mention of either Wolfowitz or Pearle should be made at the present time."
(April 5) ...comments appearing in the left-wing British Guardian about the occupation and administration of a conquered (read liberated and newly democratized) Iraq by American military personnel are to be ignored.
Controlling the News:
... Recently, a mid-level executive of one of the three major American television networks sent on over 1500 pages of memos from the corporate offices of his network in New York to the head of their television news division. These memos contain a multitude of instructions concerning the presentation of national and international news for the network's viewers...
(Feb 10) ...It is not permitted at this point to use or refer to any film clips, stills or articles emanating from any French source whatsoever.
(March 2) ...further references to the religious views of the President are to be deleted...
(March 22) ...it is not conducive to maintaining an overall neutrality in the Palestine uprisings to show any pictures of the American peacenik that was run over by the Israeli army bulldozer. This is only to be mentioned as a tragic accident for which the IDF is truly saddened.
(March 25) ...no mention of either Wolfowitz or Pearle should be made at the present time."
(April 5) ...comments appearing in the left-wing British Guardian about the occupation and administration of a conquered (read liberated and newly democratized) Iraq by American military personnel are to be ignored.
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Dubious Letters From GIs In Iraq
Veterans for Common Sense - News Article: "CBS News Reports on DoD 'LetterGate' Scandal | CBS News | Posted 10/13/2003 5:08:00 PM
...
Dubious Letters From GIs In Iraq | NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2003
(CBS) A series of letters to hometown newspapers, purportedly written by U.S. soldiers in Iraq, contain identical language, according to the Gannett News Service. The letters praise the U.S. effort to rebuild the war-torn Mideast nation.
Gannett said it had turned up 11 identical letters from soldiers serving in Iraq with the 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment. Six of the soldiers contacted by Gannett said they knew of the letters and agreed with their substance, but hadn't written them.
But another letter, purportedly written by a GI hospitalized for wounds suffered in a grenade attack, came as a surprise to Pfc. Nick Deaconson of Beckley, W.Va., according to his dad. ... The soldier received a congratulatory phone call from his father, Timothy, ... he said: 'What letter?'" Timothy Deaconson told Gannett. "This is just not his (writing) style."
Veterans for Common Sense - News Article: "CBS News Reports on DoD 'LetterGate' Scandal | CBS News | Posted 10/13/2003 5:08:00 PM
...
Dubious Letters From GIs In Iraq | NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2003
(CBS) A series of letters to hometown newspapers, purportedly written by U.S. soldiers in Iraq, contain identical language, according to the Gannett News Service. The letters praise the U.S. effort to rebuild the war-torn Mideast nation.
Gannett said it had turned up 11 identical letters from soldiers serving in Iraq with the 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment. Six of the soldiers contacted by Gannett said they knew of the letters and agreed with their substance, but hadn't written them.
But another letter, purportedly written by a GI hospitalized for wounds suffered in a grenade attack, came as a surprise to Pfc. Nick Deaconson of Beckley, W.Va., according to his dad. ... The soldier received a congratulatory phone call from his father, Timothy, ... he said: 'What letter?'" Timothy Deaconson told Gannett. "This is just not his (writing) style."
Thursday, October 23, 2003
VOANews.com: Voice of America: reporting or propaganda?
VOANews.com: "11 Killed, Scores Injured in Israeli Raids | Larry James | Jerusalem | 21 Oct 2003, 10:08 UTC
At least 11 Palestinians have been killed and more than 80 injured in a series of Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. [11 shows this is a later report; others put the injuries at 100 but this is the fog or war. ed]
The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad are vowing revenge for the string of attacks. A joint statement issued in Beirut by Hamas and Islamic Jihad called on all Palestinians to join together in a coordinated response to what was termed the Zionist aggression against Palestinians.
At least eight members of Hamas were killed [sources? Israeli military. Not likely to be correct so should not be stated as fact: see details below. ed.] in the air strikes which began in the pre-dawn hours Monday and continued until well after dark.
One of the attacks late Monday on the densely populated Nusseirat refugee camp killed three Palestinians. [False: AP says two missiles were fired, killing 7, later 8, including a doctor. Most reports say 70 bystanders were injured which is not mentioned. Israel's Channel 10 TV said none of the dead were militants, characterizing the refugee camp strike as a "mistake." ed.] In another, Israeli troops killed two men they said were trying to infiltrate into Israel from the Gaza Strip. The military said it found explosive devices strapped to their bodies. [Corrections: No mention of a dead bystander or 12 injured including the schoolchildren leaving a kindergarten. AP: An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two men in the truck had tried to salvage explosives not destroyed in the first airstrike. ed.] The other attacks targeted [codeword for missed?] Hamas members and buildings that Israel says were being used to make weapons including homemade rockets.
VOANews.com: "11 Killed, Scores Injured in Israeli Raids | Larry James | Jerusalem | 21 Oct 2003, 10:08 UTC
At least 11 Palestinians have been killed and more than 80 injured in a series of Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. [11 shows this is a later report; others put the injuries at 100 but this is the fog or war. ed]
The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad are vowing revenge for the string of attacks. A joint statement issued in Beirut by Hamas and Islamic Jihad called on all Palestinians to join together in a coordinated response to what was termed the Zionist aggression against Palestinians.
At least eight members of Hamas were killed [sources? Israeli military. Not likely to be correct so should not be stated as fact: see details below. ed.] in the air strikes which began in the pre-dawn hours Monday and continued until well after dark.
One of the attacks late Monday on the densely populated Nusseirat refugee camp killed three Palestinians. [False: AP says two missiles were fired, killing 7, later 8, including a doctor. Most reports say 70 bystanders were injured which is not mentioned. Israel's Channel 10 TV said none of the dead were militants, characterizing the refugee camp strike as a "mistake." ed.] In another, Israeli troops killed two men they said were trying to infiltrate into Israel from the Gaza Strip. The military said it found explosive devices strapped to their bodies. [Corrections: No mention of a dead bystander or 12 injured including the schoolchildren leaving a kindergarten. AP: An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two men in the truck had tried to salvage explosives not destroyed in the first airstrike. ed.] The other attacks targeted [codeword for missed?] Hamas members and buildings that Israel says were being used to make weapons including homemade rockets.
Palestinian film given second chance at Oscars. 23/10/2003. The Space: Arts News.
Palestinian film given second chance at Oscars. 23/10/2003. The Space: Arts News.: "
A year after being kept out of the Oscar spotlight due to its Palestinian origin, the acclaimed Middle East romance Divine Intervention is getting a second chance at Academy Award contention.
...
Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman wrote, directed and stars in Divine Intervention, which centres on two Palestinian lovers stuck on opposite sides of an Israeli checkpoint.
The film won two awards at the Cannes film festival last year and won best foreign entry at the European Film Awards in Rome, beating My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
Academy officials have acknowledged that the film's nationality would have been an obstacle to qualifying the film for consideration had the movie been submitted last year.
Palestinian film given second chance at Oscars. 23/10/2003. The Space: Arts News.: "
A year after being kept out of the Oscar spotlight due to its Palestinian origin, the acclaimed Middle East romance Divine Intervention is getting a second chance at Academy Award contention.
...
Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman wrote, directed and stars in Divine Intervention, which centres on two Palestinian lovers stuck on opposite sides of an Israeli checkpoint.
The film won two awards at the Cannes film festival last year and won best foreign entry at the European Film Awards in Rome, beating My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
Academy officials have acknowledged that the film's nationality would have been an obstacle to qualifying the film for consideration had the movie been submitted last year.
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Yahoo! News - Freelance Photographer Says He Was Beaten
Yahoo! News - Freelance Photographer Says He Was Beaten: Tue Oct 21, 4:07 PM ET
JERUSALEM - A Palestinian freelance photographer said he was beaten by Israeli troops Tuesday as he took pictures of a soldier striking a man allegedly violating a military curfew.
...
Mohammed said he was wearing a vest on which the word "press" was clearly written in English and Hebrew.
The photographer said a soldier approached him and demanded to know why he was taking pictures. The soldier then twisted his arm, pushed his face into a wall and repeatedly struck him in the back before taking his camera, digital discs, bag and journalist's identification card, the photographer said.
Yahoo! News - Freelance Photographer Says He Was Beaten: Tue Oct 21, 4:07 PM ET
JERUSALEM - A Palestinian freelance photographer said he was beaten by Israeli troops Tuesday as he took pictures of a soldier striking a man allegedly violating a military curfew.
...
Mohammed said he was wearing a vest on which the word "press" was clearly written in English and Hebrew.
The photographer said a soldier approached him and demanded to know why he was taking pictures. The soldier then twisted his arm, pushed his face into a wall and repeatedly struck him in the back before taking his camera, digital discs, bag and journalist's identification card, the photographer said.
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Curtains Ordered for Media Coverage of Returning Coffins
Curtains Ordered for Media Coverage of Returning Coffins (washingtonpost.com): "Curtains Ordered for Media Coverage of Returning Coffins | By Dana Milbank | Tuesday, October 21, 2003; Page A23
Since the end of the Vietnam War, presidents have worried that their military actions would lose support once the public glimpsed the remains of U.S. soldiers arriving at air bases in flag-draped caskets.
To this problem, the Bush administration has found a simple solution: It has ended the public dissemination of such images by banning news coverage and photography of dead soldiers' homecomings on all military bases.
In March, on the eve of the Iraq war, a directive arrived from the Pentagon at U.S. military bases. "There will be no arrival ceremonies for, or media coverage of, deceased military personnel returning to or departing from Ramstein [Germany] airbase or Dover [Del.] base, to include interim stops," the Defense Department said, referring to the major ports for the returning remains.
...
... "This administration manipulates information and takes great care to manage events, and sometimes that goes too far," said Joe Lockhart, who as White House press secretary joined President Bill Clinton at several ceremonies for returning remains. "For them to sit there and make a political decision because this hurts them politically -- I'm outraged."
Curtains Ordered for Media Coverage of Returning Coffins (washingtonpost.com): "Curtains Ordered for Media Coverage of Returning Coffins | By Dana Milbank | Tuesday, October 21, 2003; Page A23
Since the end of the Vietnam War, presidents have worried that their military actions would lose support once the public glimpsed the remains of U.S. soldiers arriving at air bases in flag-draped caskets.
To this problem, the Bush administration has found a simple solution: It has ended the public dissemination of such images by banning news coverage and photography of dead soldiers' homecomings on all military bases.
In March, on the eve of the Iraq war, a directive arrived from the Pentagon at U.S. military bases. "There will be no arrival ceremonies for, or media coverage of, deceased military personnel returning to or departing from Ramstein [Germany] airbase or Dover [Del.] base, to include interim stops," the Defense Department said, referring to the major ports for the returning remains.
...
... "This administration manipulates information and takes great care to manage events, and sometimes that goes too far," said Joe Lockhart, who as White House press secretary joined President Bill Clinton at several ceremonies for returning remains. "For them to sit there and make a political decision because this hurts them politically -- I'm outraged."
Monday, October 20, 2003
Reporters Without Borders - Second world press freedom ranking
Reporters sans frontières - Second world press freedom ranking: "Second world press freedom ranking | Cuba second from last, just ahead of North Korea | October 2003
United States and Israel singled out for actions beyond their borders
Reporters Without Borders is publishing its second world press freedom ranking. As in 2002, the most catastrophic situation is to be found in Asia, especially North Korea, Burma and Laos. Second from last in the ranking, Cuba is today the world's biggest prison for journalists. The United States and Italy were given relatively low rankings.
...
Special situation of the United States and Israel The ranking distinguishes behaviour at home and abroad in the cases of the United States and Israel. They are ranked in 31st and 44th positions respectively as regards respect for freedom of expression on their own territory, but they fall to the 135th and 146th positions as regards behaviour beyond their borders.
The Israeli army's repeated abuses against journalists in the occupied territories and the US army's responsibility in the death of several reporters during the war in Iraq constitute unacceptable behaviour by two nations that never stop stressing their commitment to freedom of expression.
...
Reporters sans frontières - Second world press freedom ranking: "Second world press freedom ranking | Cuba second from last, just ahead of North Korea | October 2003
United States and Israel singled out for actions beyond their borders
Reporters Without Borders is publishing its second world press freedom ranking. As in 2002, the most catastrophic situation is to be found in Asia, especially North Korea, Burma and Laos. Second from last in the ranking, Cuba is today the world's biggest prison for journalists. The United States and Italy were given relatively low rankings.
...
Special situation of the United States and Israel The ranking distinguishes behaviour at home and abroad in the cases of the United States and Israel. They are ranked in 31st and 44th positions respectively as regards respect for freedom of expression on their own territory, but they fall to the 135th and 146th positions as regards behaviour beyond their borders.
The Israeli army's repeated abuses against journalists in the occupied territories and the US army's responsibility in the death of several reporters during the war in Iraq constitute unacceptable behaviour by two nations that never stop stressing their commitment to freedom of expression.
...
Richard Perle to Receive 'Scoop' Jackson Award at Jerusalem Summit
Richard Perle to Receive 'Scoop' Jackson Award at Jerusalem Summit: Thursday October 2, 2:00 pm ET
Joining RICHARD PERLE in Jerusalem will be fellow Americans DANIEL PIPES, ALAN KEYES, CAL THOMAS, FRANK GAFFNEY, JOHN BATCHELOR and MIKE EVANS. Israeli participants will include EHUD OLMERT, BENYAMIN NETANYAHU, UZI LANDAU, Rabbi BENI ELON, EFRAIM EITAM, URI LUPOLIANSKY and leading Knesset members, academics and businessmen.
Richard Perle to Receive 'Scoop' Jackson Award at Jerusalem Summit: Thursday October 2, 2:00 pm ET
Joining RICHARD PERLE in Jerusalem will be fellow Americans DANIEL PIPES, ALAN KEYES, CAL THOMAS, FRANK GAFFNEY, JOHN BATCHELOR and MIKE EVANS. Israeli participants will include EHUD OLMERT, BENYAMIN NETANYAHU, UZI LANDAU, Rabbi BENI ELON, EFRAIM EITAM, URI LUPOLIANSKY and leading Knesset members, academics and businessmen.
Thursday, October 16, 2003
CIA leak: sends a dead fish to anyone in the administration who might question that Iraq was a major and imminent menace
Oozing Hypocrisy Over a Leak (washingtonpost.com): "Oozing Hypocrisy Over a Leak | By Richard Cohen | Thursday, October 2, 2003; Page A23
A government that cannot catch Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein is probably not going to catch the person who leaked the name of a CIA agent.
...
That hypocrisy was on display Tuesday when President Bush indignantly declared war on leaking, asserting that there are "just too many leaks." The president, as is his wont, misspoke. What he meant to condemn are leaks that do damage to his administration. Up to now, he has said nothing about leaks that favor his cause.
The leak now under investigation is of a particularly pernicious kind. The identity of the CIA employee was disclosed not really to inform the public of something it should know, but as a way to send a dead fish to anyone in the administration who might question that Iraq was a major and imminent menace.
...
... The fog of cant and sanctimony is so thick I fear that this time a leaker might be caught. Rest assured, it will not be the button man who put a hit on Wilson and his wife but the one who blew the whistle. White House security is at fault.
Somehow, someone got in with a conscience.
Oozing Hypocrisy Over a Leak (washingtonpost.com): "Oozing Hypocrisy Over a Leak | By Richard Cohen | Thursday, October 2, 2003; Page A23
A government that cannot catch Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein is probably not going to catch the person who leaked the name of a CIA agent.
...
That hypocrisy was on display Tuesday when President Bush indignantly declared war on leaking, asserting that there are "just too many leaks." The president, as is his wont, misspoke. What he meant to condemn are leaks that do damage to his administration. Up to now, he has said nothing about leaks that favor his cause.
The leak now under investigation is of a particularly pernicious kind. The identity of the CIA employee was disclosed not really to inform the public of something it should know, but as a way to send a dead fish to anyone in the administration who might question that Iraq was a major and imminent menace.
...
... The fog of cant and sanctimony is so thick I fear that this time a leaker might be caught. Rest assured, it will not be the button man who put a hit on Wilson and his wife but the one who blew the whistle. White House security is at fault.
Somehow, someone got in with a conscience.
Outing an undercover CIA agent: Novak and the art of the Leak
Arabic Media Internet Network: "Novak and the art of the Leak | By: Ahmed Amr* October 02, 2003
Outing an undercover CIA agent is a major national security crime that dwarfs the third class burglary we know as the Watergate scandal. So, you would think that every mass media journalist would be chomping at the bit to locate a ‘deep throat'. Just think of the movie rights and contact Robert Redford with an early draft of the screenplay.
First Hint. Who wrote that Washington Post Article?
Hint 2. ... Is he referring to the Likudnik war party... starting with Richard Perle, Wolfowitz, Bolton , Libby, Elliot Abrams and Douglas Feith.
Hint 3. ... The American Enterprise Institute folks gloat over their media connections
Hint four: Rumsfeld ... with this Likudnik lobby, as has Cheney ... Have any of them asked their senior staff to take an oath denying being one of the felons?
Hint Five: ... why does Bush not demand an oath by senior administration officials denying involvement in the leak and lie detector tests? Clinton did exactly that ...
Hint Six: Read Richard Perle's ‘The Art of the Leak'
Hint Seven: The VP and his wife are intimately associated with the AEI ... , why can't they ... narrow the list of suspects?
Hint eight: Convict the real culprits after the election. Pardon them on the last day of the second term in office, along with Jonathan Pollard. Libby (Mark Rich's lawyer) and Elliot Abrams are well acquainted with this ‘last day' pardon scenario.
Hint Nine: Why is Rupert Murdoch and ... so intent on killing this story? ... Is it because three or four of the six suspect journalists are consultants for FOX or work for Murdoch's Weekly Standard?
Hint Ten: Why are other mass media titans actively working to fog up the obvious leads?
Arabic Media Internet Network: "Novak and the art of the Leak | By: Ahmed Amr* October 02, 2003
Outing an undercover CIA agent is a major national security crime that dwarfs the third class burglary we know as the Watergate scandal. So, you would think that every mass media journalist would be chomping at the bit to locate a ‘deep throat'. Just think of the movie rights and contact Robert Redford with an early draft of the screenplay.
First Hint. Who wrote that Washington Post Article?
Hint 2. ... Is he referring to the Likudnik war party... starting with Richard Perle, Wolfowitz, Bolton , Libby, Elliot Abrams and Douglas Feith.
Hint 3. ... The American Enterprise Institute folks gloat over their media connections
Hint four: Rumsfeld ... with this Likudnik lobby, as has Cheney ... Have any of them asked their senior staff to take an oath denying being one of the felons?
Hint Five: ... why does Bush not demand an oath by senior administration officials denying involvement in the leak and lie detector tests? Clinton did exactly that ...
Hint Six: Read Richard Perle's ‘The Art of the Leak'
Hint Seven: The VP and his wife are intimately associated with the AEI ... , why can't they ... narrow the list of suspects?
Hint eight: Convict the real culprits after the election. Pardon them on the last day of the second term in office, along with Jonathan Pollard. Libby (Mark Rich's lawyer) and Elliot Abrams are well acquainted with this ‘last day' pardon scenario.
Hint Nine: Why is Rupert Murdoch and ... so intent on killing this story? ... Is it because three or four of the six suspect journalists are consultants for FOX or work for Murdoch's Weekly Standard?
Hint Ten: Why are other mass media titans actively working to fog up the obvious leads?
Alan Dershowitz's 'The Case for Israel': plagiarism, egregious falsifications
Finkelsteins Unedited Letter to the Crimson: "The Glove Does Fit: A reply to Alan Dershowitz | Norman Finkelstein | October 1, 2003
Alan Dershowitz either cannot or refuses to understand why there is a controversy surrounding The Case for Israel ('Plagiarism Accusations Political, Unfounded,' 30 September 2003). Perhaps I can enlighten him. Quite simply, the book he claims to have written is a hoax: (1) substantial swatches are lifted from another notorious hoax on the Israel-Palestine conflict, (2) it is replete with egregious falsifications, and (3) the few scholarly sources actually cited are mangled beyond recognition. In this reply, I will only illustrate points (1) and (2). These, along with point (3), will be fully documented in a forthcoming monograph.
...
Let it be absolutely clear," Dershowitz states elsewhere, "that my demographic conclusions are very different from Peters's." Really? The centerpiece of Peters's book is a demographic study purporting to prove that many of the 1948 Palestinian Arab refugees were actually recent arrivals to the area of Palestine that became Israel from other parts of Palestine. She "proves" this by falsifying key data. Far from reaching different conclusions on this key point, Dershowitz repeats Peters's fraudulent claim, even fabricating the flat-out lie that the "United Nations recogniz[ed] that many of the refugees had not lived for long in the villages they left."
...
On an even more shocking note, Dershowitz maintains that "there is no evidence that Israeli soldiers deliberately killed even a single civilian" in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield in April 2002. Yet, Human Rights Watch reports that of the "twenty-two civilian killings" during the Israeli siege of Jenin, "Many of them were killed willfully or unlawfully, and in some cases constituted war crimes. Fifty-seven-year-old Kamal Zghair, a wheelchair-bound man, was shot and then run over by IDF tanks ...
...
In his book, Dershowitz argues that it's "fair" to impose "economic sanctions" on Palestinians lending "emotional support" to terrorism. He accordingly supports demolishing the home of a suicide bomber's family, which constitutes a "soft form of collective punishment." In the Jersualem Post, Dershowitz has urged the "automatic destruction" of an entire Palestinian village after each Palestinian terrorist attack. Isn't this lending "intellectual support" to terrorism - and shouldn't his home be subject to the "soft form of collective punishment"?
"I am proud of my book," Dershowitz concludes ...
... He further argues that the "fraudulent manufacturing of false antihistory" is "the kind of deception for which professors are rightly fired - not because their views are controversial but because they are violating the most basic canons of historical scholarship." To paraphrase a colleague of Dershowitz, if the glove fits, we cannot acquit.
Finkelsteins Unedited Letter to the Crimson: "The Glove Does Fit: A reply to Alan Dershowitz | Norman Finkelstein | October 1, 2003
Alan Dershowitz either cannot or refuses to understand why there is a controversy surrounding The Case for Israel ('Plagiarism Accusations Political, Unfounded,' 30 September 2003). Perhaps I can enlighten him. Quite simply, the book he claims to have written is a hoax: (1) substantial swatches are lifted from another notorious hoax on the Israel-Palestine conflict, (2) it is replete with egregious falsifications, and (3) the few scholarly sources actually cited are mangled beyond recognition. In this reply, I will only illustrate points (1) and (2). These, along with point (3), will be fully documented in a forthcoming monograph.
...
Let it be absolutely clear," Dershowitz states elsewhere, "that my demographic conclusions are very different from Peters's." Really? The centerpiece of Peters's book is a demographic study purporting to prove that many of the 1948 Palestinian Arab refugees were actually recent arrivals to the area of Palestine that became Israel from other parts of Palestine. She "proves" this by falsifying key data. Far from reaching different conclusions on this key point, Dershowitz repeats Peters's fraudulent claim, even fabricating the flat-out lie that the "United Nations recogniz[ed] that many of the refugees had not lived for long in the villages they left."
...
On an even more shocking note, Dershowitz maintains that "there is no evidence that Israeli soldiers deliberately killed even a single civilian" in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield in April 2002. Yet, Human Rights Watch reports that of the "twenty-two civilian killings" during the Israeli siege of Jenin, "Many of them were killed willfully or unlawfully, and in some cases constituted war crimes. Fifty-seven-year-old Kamal Zghair, a wheelchair-bound man, was shot and then run over by IDF tanks ...
...
In his book, Dershowitz argues that it's "fair" to impose "economic sanctions" on Palestinians lending "emotional support" to terrorism. He accordingly supports demolishing the home of a suicide bomber's family, which constitutes a "soft form of collective punishment." In the Jersualem Post, Dershowitz has urged the "automatic destruction" of an entire Palestinian village after each Palestinian terrorist attack. Isn't this lending "intellectual support" to terrorism - and shouldn't his home be subject to the "soft form of collective punishment"?
"I am proud of my book," Dershowitz concludes ...
... He further argues that the "fraudulent manufacturing of false antihistory" is "the kind of deception for which professors are rightly fired - not because their views are controversial but because they are violating the most basic canons of historical scholarship." To paraphrase a colleague of Dershowitz, if the glove fits, we cannot acquit.
Saturday, October 11, 2003
Suicide Bombing Timeline by AP [Has AP done any Palestinian death timeline since 2000? ed.]
Newsday.com - Suicide Bombing Timeline: "Suicide Bombing Timeline | By The Associated Press
| October 4, 2003, 12:32 PM EDT
JERUSALEM -- During three years of fighting, at least 432 people have been killed in 103 Palestinian suicide bombings. Here's a closer look at some of the deadliest suicide attacks:
June 1, 2001: The entrance of the Dolphinarium seaside disco in Tel Aviv -- 21 people, mostly teenagers, killed.
Aug. 9, 2001: Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem -- 15 people killed.
Dec. 1, 2001: Two suicide bombers blow up seconds apart on Jerusalem's Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall -- 11 people killed.
Dec. 2, 2001: A bus in the coastal city of Haifa -- 15 people killed.
March 2, 2002: Jerusalem's Ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood -- 11 people killed.
March 9, 2002: Jerusalem's Moment Cafe -- 11 people killed.
March 20, 2002: A bus near village of Kfar Musmus -- seven people killed.
March 27, 2002: A hotel dining room during a ritual Seder meal at the start of the Passover holiday in the city of Netanya -- 29 people killed.
March 31, 2002: A restaurant in Haifa -- 15 people killed.
April 10, 2002: A bus in Haifa -- eight people killed.
May 7, 2002: A pool hall in the Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon Letzion -- 15 people killed.
June 5, 2002: Bus near Megiddo Junction in northern Israel -- 17 people killed.
June 18, 2002: Patt Junction in southern Jerusalem -- 19 people killed.
June 19, 2002: French Hill intersection in Jerusalem -- seven people killed.
August 4, 2002: A bus at the Meron Junction in northern Israel -- eight people killed.
Oct. 21, 2002: A bus at the Karkur Junction in northern Israel -- 14 people killed.
Nov. 21, 2002: A bus in Jerusalem -- 11 people killed.
Jan. 5, 2003: Two suicide bombers at the Neve Shaanan pedestrian mall in Tel Aviv -- 23 people killed.
March 5, 2003: A bus in Haifa -- 17 people killed.
May 18, 2003: A bus at Jerusalem's French Hill neighborhood -- seven people killed.
June 11, 2003: A bus on Jerusalem's central Jaffa Street -- 17 people killed.
Aug. 19, 2003: A bus in Jerusalem -- 23 people killed.
Sept. 9, 2003: A bus stop near an army base outside Tel Aviv -- eight Israeli soldiers killed.
Sept. 9, 2003: Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem -- seven people killed.
Oct. 4, 2003: A seaside restaurant in Haifa -- at least 19 people killed.
[Although eye-for-eye comparisons are disturbing, the total killed is roughly comparable to the number of Palestinians killed before the first suicide bombing. ed.]
Newsday.com - Suicide Bombing Timeline: "Suicide Bombing Timeline | By The Associated Press
| October 4, 2003, 12:32 PM EDT
JERUSALEM -- During three years of fighting, at least 432 people have been killed in 103 Palestinian suicide bombings. Here's a closer look at some of the deadliest suicide attacks:
June 1, 2001: The entrance of the Dolphinarium seaside disco in Tel Aviv -- 21 people, mostly teenagers, killed.
Aug. 9, 2001: Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem -- 15 people killed.
Dec. 1, 2001: Two suicide bombers blow up seconds apart on Jerusalem's Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall -- 11 people killed.
Dec. 2, 2001: A bus in the coastal city of Haifa -- 15 people killed.
March 2, 2002: Jerusalem's Ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood -- 11 people killed.
March 9, 2002: Jerusalem's Moment Cafe -- 11 people killed.
March 20, 2002: A bus near village of Kfar Musmus -- seven people killed.
March 27, 2002: A hotel dining room during a ritual Seder meal at the start of the Passover holiday in the city of Netanya -- 29 people killed.
March 31, 2002: A restaurant in Haifa -- 15 people killed.
April 10, 2002: A bus in Haifa -- eight people killed.
May 7, 2002: A pool hall in the Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon Letzion -- 15 people killed.
June 5, 2002: Bus near Megiddo Junction in northern Israel -- 17 people killed.
June 18, 2002: Patt Junction in southern Jerusalem -- 19 people killed.
June 19, 2002: French Hill intersection in Jerusalem -- seven people killed.
August 4, 2002: A bus at the Meron Junction in northern Israel -- eight people killed.
Oct. 21, 2002: A bus at the Karkur Junction in northern Israel -- 14 people killed.
Nov. 21, 2002: A bus in Jerusalem -- 11 people killed.
Jan. 5, 2003: Two suicide bombers at the Neve Shaanan pedestrian mall in Tel Aviv -- 23 people killed.
March 5, 2003: A bus in Haifa -- 17 people killed.
May 18, 2003: A bus at Jerusalem's French Hill neighborhood -- seven people killed.
June 11, 2003: A bus on Jerusalem's central Jaffa Street -- 17 people killed.
Aug. 19, 2003: A bus in Jerusalem -- 23 people killed.
Sept. 9, 2003: A bus stop near an army base outside Tel Aviv -- eight Israeli soldiers killed.
Sept. 9, 2003: Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem -- seven people killed.
Oct. 4, 2003: A seaside restaurant in Haifa -- at least 19 people killed.
[Although eye-for-eye comparisons are disturbing, the total killed is roughly comparable to the number of Palestinians killed before the first suicide bombing. ed.]
