Cap Phantom

By the Mavi Marmara arrived at the Port of Ashdod, many correspondents from foreign news networks have been awaiting it for hours. Throughout that tense morning there was no IDF spokesperson or Israeli Foreign Ministry representatives in the area. I asked myself why Israeli authorities shy away from the foreign media instead of taking advantage of them.

Correspondents waiting for something to happen will shoot anything, whatever happens nearby. This could be a perfect time for the IDF to talk to them and explain what’s going on. Since there was nobody there, they shot the right-wing demonstrators who did everything they could to obstruct Arab correspondents. Eventually, the correspondents asked the IDF spokesperson to interview an Israeli commando. Their request was accepted, albeit hesitantly. It took several hours for a Foreign Ministry liaison (who later turned out to be an IDF Spokesperson representative) to finally lead the foreign correspondents to a bus that took them to the nearby navy base, where a press conference was scheduled with a commando soldier.

The journalists went on a bus all covered in plastic sheets, and waited almost an hour for it to leave. They were treated like POWs. It took a long while for the bus to reach its destination. Upon arrival, the journalists were told that the soldier will speak briefly, and that no questions may be posed to him since this has not been approved by IDF spokesperson.

The soldier stood on the stage, almost frightened, and explained in a weak voice that the IDF navy commandos were surprised to encounter violent people on board the Marmara, armed with clubs, who forced them to defend themselves. He spoke for about a minute. The correspondents then tried to ask him some questions, but were told that the soldier will repeat his words and that will be the end of the “press conference”. Apparently the IDF spokesperson felt its duty to the foreign media was fulfilled, its promises kept. The correspondents left bitterly disappointed and mainly angry. This is not how they imagined a commando soldier. Pro-Israeli or even sympathetic coverage now seemed farther than ever.

As a provider of production services to foreign crews filming in Israel , I am well aware of the way the Israeli propaganda system works. The first thing you should know is that there is a strong tendency not to explain anything before a “line” is being formally adopted. In other words, many people would have been more than willing to be interviewed, had they been briefed accordingly. But when the Information Minister is in Canada, and really knows nothing about the media in any case, it seems that briefings of this kind are nowhere on anybody’s list of tasks.

Today, in the age of Facebook and Twitter, time is of the essence. A mistake made by a paramedic treating a patient in the first few seconds after the injury, cannot be remedied by even the most advanced hospital technologies. Likewise, whoever covers first talks about what actually happened – whoever covers last can only interpret. It is hard to erase initial impressions.

The day the Marmara arrived in Israel reminded me of the long days of the Second Lebanon War, when I worked as a producer for a foreign press. We had a broadcasting station on Mount Carmel in Northern Israel. Many other foreign correspondents worked by our side,  together with film and production crews who came to cover the war. for  the media who came for filming in Israel a huge “war room” was established by the Israeli Foreign Ministry in the nearby hotel.

Every hour on the hour, we went on air with up-to-date reports, interviewees and interpreters. I remember that despite the massive presence of Foreign Ministry and IDF spokesperson representatives, it was very difficult for me to find people who would be willing to be interviewed themselves. I got used to having to rely on standby interpreters and academics for each time an IDF or Foreign Ministry representative would cancel a scheduled interview. I particularly remember the day after the Kafr Qana air strike on July 30 (where an estimated 28 villagers died). On that day, and for two days later, I couldn’t find a single Israeli representative who was willing to stand in front of the camera and explain what happened there. To fill in the empty airtime, I again had to rely on… the other side.

It is not completely mistaken to claim that foreign media is sometimes biased against Israel. But when only one side is willing to talk, what can you expect? Minimal understanding of how the foreign media operates in Israel and some intelligent strategy, have never hurt anyone.

The failure by editors of supposedly impartial and respected newspapers to correct inaccuracies in media articles regarding the West Bank and Gaza prior to their publication, gives continuing credence to total Arab denial of any Jewish rights in those areas – and also seriously misleads and misinforms their trusting readers as to the nature of the conflict that is taking place.

Letters written to the editors requesting corrections are usually consigned to the waste paper basket and even if printed, are too late to undo the damage – allowing gross distortion of facts to be perpetuated and in many cases repeated by the same and other journalists.

A classic case in point is the article – “War over, but the fight goes on” – written by Ed O’Loughlin, which appeared in two of Australia’s most respected newspapers – the Sydney Morning Herald and the Brisbane Times – on 2 June 2007 to mark the 40th Anniversary of the Six Day War in 1967. http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/war-over-but-fight-goes-on/2007/06/01/1180205513190.html

Consider these five gems (and there are many more) in Mr O’Loughlin’s article:

1. “ A native of New Jersey, he is one of several hundred Jews who live under heavy military protection in the first and most extreme of all Jewish settlements on the West Bank, carved out of the historic heart of the Palestinian city of Hebron.”

The author fails to mention that “the historic heart of the Palestinian city of Hebron” happens to include the ancient Jewish Quarter of Hebron built on land purchased by Jews in 1540.

Jews lived there until 24 August 1929 when 67 Jewish men women and children were slaughtered by a crowd of rampaging Arabs . The remaining Jewish population of 750 were forced to flee. Some returned in 1931 but were forced to leave when the Arabs rioted again in 1936. Jews returned to the Jewish Quarter after the Six Day War to a very hostile welcome from the Arab residents.

Hebron contains the traditional burial place of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Leah and Rebecca – one of Jewry’s holiest sites – which the Bible records was purchased by Abraham in 1753BC.

Hebron is therefore more than just a Palestinian city. It has a far longer Jewish history – one of great religious significance for Jews.

Any editor worth his salt should have taken steps to have the author correct this statement.

2. “Of all the territories captured by Israel in the Six-Day war, only the Sinai Peninsula has been returned to its former owner, Egypt, thanks to the 1978 Camp David Accords of the then US president Jimmy Carter.”

The inference is that the Sinai Peninsula is only a small part of all the territories captured by Israel.

In fact the Sinai Peninsula comprised 90% of all the territories captured by Israel. It was returned to Egypt as part of the historic Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt along with the Alma oil field discovered and developed there by Israel and reportedly worth $100 billion as well as strategic military airfields and early warning installations built by Israel. 7000 Jews were also expelled from Sinai as part of the agreement.

Why this misleading statement was allowed to go to print beggars belief.

3. “In the West Bank and East Jerusalem tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers and paramilitary police are needed to control 2.5 million indigenous Palestinians and to protect the 450000 Jewish settlers planted in their midst since the war”

Describing the Palestinians as “indigenous” is very disingenuous.

Weren’t the Jews given the right by the League of Nations under the Mandate for Palestine to “reconstitute” their former national home in these very areas after 2000 years of dispersal throughout the world. Has this right not been preserved to this very day by Article 80 of the United Nations Charter?

Who are the indigenous people then – the descendants of Jews who were driven from their country 2000 years ago or the descendants of Arabs who occupied it by conquest seven centuries later?

Mr O’Loughlin’s use of the word “indigenous” is inflammatory, judgemental, totally irrelevant in relation to the context and should have been simply edited out.

4. “Gaza’s air space, sea access and border crossings are all under tight Israeli military control …”

The Rafah border crossing is under Egypt’s control – not Israel’s.

Why was this incorrect statement let through?

5. ”The Six-Day War might have appeared to be a decisive victory for Israel but its outcome was never transformed into a workable political peace settlement”

Aren’t Israel’s peace treaties with Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994) workable political peace settlements ?

If Mr O’Loughlin intended this statement to only refer to the West Bank and Gaza, then he should have made that clear in his article. However that would have created a little problem for him.

Both Gaza and the West Bank had been continuously occupied by Egypt and Jordan respectively from 1948 until 1967. Not one Jew lived there during all that time – although many had been driven out by six invading Arab armies in the 1948 War.

The Arab League could have created another Arab State in those areas at the drop of a hat at any time during those 19 years. What they demand now in the Arab League Peace Initiative was theirs for the creating until 1967.

Israel is now being pressured to make this happen 40 years later and remove 450000 Jews who have, since 1967, gone to live in the West Bank – an area that is part of their ancestral homeland and has been internationally designated and sanctioned for the Jewish National Home.

Perhaps Mr O’Loughlin should use his privileged access to these prestigious newspapers to canvas why another Arab State in the West Bank and Gaza is now thought necessary, why all the Jews must move out and how this will end the conflict between Jews and Arabs.

It might just give the editors the chance to rectify the damage caused to the reputation of their papers by allowing the publication of this article in its present form.

Fairy tales are no substitute for truth and accuracy – especially when it relates to the Arab-Jewish conflict.

Toby Wilson the financial advisor for SteelWheelz.com & host of the newly inked “Toby Wilson” gives a few financial tips to get your paper right.

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