I’m at my parents and they get the Times every day. I got up today and read a news analysis by Ethan Bronner about the latest step in the peace process and it has upset me all day. Bronner presents as equivalent the Israelis’ failure to really halt the colonization process–Netanyahu is still committed to finishing 3000 housing units in the West Bank and to continue the colonization of East Jerusalem–and the failure of the Palestinians to halt violence. And what is Bronner’s evidence for the Palestinian failure? Well, it is the fact that West Bank violence has not been curbed by the Palestinians themselves, that has required "nightly Israeli raids" into the West Bank. 15 to 20 "actions" just the other night, an unnamed Israeli commander brags. "We call it cutting the grass."
And watching the grass too; over the last few years the Israelis have built "an extensive intelligence network" in the West Bank..Of course that’s not the only Palestinian violence that has to be curbed. There is the whole of Gaza. A "terrorist" infrastructure.
there is still Gaza. It is ruled by the Islamists of Hamas who remain dedicated to Israel’s destruction. Since Palestinian Authority officials dare not even set foot there, it is hard to credit their claim to have dismantled terrorist networks.
A deal is brewing where Israel may release 100s of political prisoners, including many suicide bombers.
In the Israeli military’s words, that would be a lot of new grass to cut
Bronner is married to an Israeli. And just think of all the Israeli propaganda in those statements. The idea that the occupation with all its humiliating oppressive violence–from intelligence networks to nightly raids– is the legitimate activity of a state toward a stateless people. The disgusting military jargon, "cutting the grass," which Bronner then echoes thuggishly. The reduction of all of Gaza to a "terrorist network." An imprisoned people, held up as deeply threatening because they are dedicated religiously to Israel’s destruction.
If you or I were under occupation for more than 40 years, watching our children grow up without opportunities or rights, some of us would surely resort to violent resistance or maybe even religion. The International Association of Democratic Lawyers’ report on the Gaza slaughter of last winter said that the Palestinians are an occupied people, and THERE IS NO PARITY BETWEEN OCCUPIER AND OCCUPIED; and the occupied have the right to resist.
Doesn’t the Times owe an occupied people greater fairness? Just apply Bronner’s standards of behavior to two other situations. Black South Africa or Iraq. Imagine if the Shiites of Iraq had reported to American authorities that they kept down Sunni terrorism in 2006 with nightly raids, to "cut the grass." Do you think we ever would have been able to make a political deal in Iraq? Do you think our papers would have reported those reprisals in the bemused spirit that Bronner brings to these raids and spies? Imagine if the apartheid government of South Africa had tried to prolong its reign by "cutting the grass" of the black resistance. What would be the international reaction?
Imagine the raids that routinely went on during the Jim Crow period to keep down black resistance to rightlessness. Some of those "actions," as the Israeli commander put it, were lynchings.
NYT’s coverage of foreign affairs, especially the I/P conflict, is conducted by propagandists and hacks. It needs to be on the BDS list.
***
One of the usual supine suspects is no longer mouthing the party line.
Jordan rejects Israeli offer of partial settlement freeze
Folks who know apartheid when they see it, see it in Israel.
South Africa: Israel actions in East Jerusalem akin to apartheid
This is the kind of behavior that we Americans must all work against as we strive for a post-Zionist America. Judaism ≠ Zionism (not equal to, in case the html doesn’t parse properly)
Florida students suspended over ‘Kick a Jew Day’
Also, I thought the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank was observing a truce, and that any efforts at violence from there would emanate from much smaller groupings, like Islamic Jihad. Shmuel, et al: Isn’t this true? And if it is, shouldn’t Bronner have reported it? His article as it stands implies that 1) the entire West Bank is sneakily planning raids all the time against Israel, but 2) Israeli “grass-cutting” is stopping them every night.
From the article itself, I didn’t get the exagerated reaction that Phil derived. Did you?
The allusion to “cutting the grass” was jarring, and the lack of definition of whether the raids addressed anticipated assaults on Israeli civilians or IDF in the West Bank.
Phil’s “right to resist” language is not journalistic, but partisan, more partisan than Bronner’s language.
Witty, no sane person has the reactions you derive. You have the phenomenal capacity to read something that isn’t there, and totally ignore stuff that is. Like, as Cliff has also noted, your amazing capacity to ignore any article on Mondoweiss that discusses Israeli crimes against humanity.
Aw come on, Chaos, Dick Witty’s just cutting his lawn; digging out the dandelions and weeds too. He’s got a vision of natural astroturf locked in his head. Phil’s a weed that just keeps growing back.
“Cutting the grass.” Once again, the NY Times unwittingly exposes the Israeli perspective of seeing Palestinians as subhuman.
You can almost imagine the glee of the IDF officer as he uses this profane terminology with the occupation-friendly NY Times reporter, who he knows will lard his page one article with hasbara.
Bronner again fails his readers by suppressing the truth of what happens when they “cut the grass.” That is, they incarcerate young Palestinians without due process for years. It’s why there will be 1,000 Palestinians released for every Shalit.
I liked Phil’s first line. I’m at my parents and they get the Times every day. It means the Old Gray Lady is barely relevant to us anymore — Phil doesn’t subscribe to the NYT and the same goes for everyone in my circle. Me? I cancelled my home subscription four years ago, and maybe I’ve purchased the Times on the newsstand a handful of times since then.
These days, the NY Times is as quaint and anachronistic as, say, “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Bronner’s piece is the perfect example of why it’s not even worthy as bird cage liner.
“Cutting the grass.” Once again, the NY Times unwittingly exposes the Israeli perspective of seeing Palestinians as subhuman.”
I believe the Hutu’s had a similar term for the same thing.
Disgraceful. These people are pigs, including Bonner.
At least Sudan does not hold itself up as a paragon of democracy and all the we’re-so-moral crap Israel likes to powder itself with. Neither does Zimbabwe, or the rest of the dictator countries; their bleak self-assessment is far more reassuring for the honesty.
BDS is the only answer. The only answer. Time to change my labels to call Israel a terrorist country that the US must refuse to support with my tax dollars.
MRW, agree completely. This is a letter I sent this afternoon to Jewish Voice for Peace, Hampshire College BDS, and the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church (which called for BDS in 2005). . .
Mondoweiss should carry t-shirts, posters, coffee mugs and Palestinian-origin products for us to support this effort.
If you want to get involved with the Hampshire effort, write to HampshireSJP [at] gmail [dot] com.
Here’s the list of 20 companies recommended for BDS by the New England Conference of Methodist Churches: link to neumc.org
Good letter, Oscar. I agree that American companies have to be hit, and it needs to be described in this way…that the US co. send its profits to the WB or Israel to support apartheid and terrorist activities.
I like the mondoweiss product idea. Phil and Adam should do this. All the corny stuff possible. I’d put a mondoweiss bumper sticker on my car, and wear a mondoweiss hat. (My head is huge, size 8, so it can’t be one size fits all. :-) ) They could keep half the profits for their site and donate the rest for BDS. Whatever. Or they can keep all the profits to pay for trips overseas. That would be a good idea.
Check out www.cafepress.com . I have been hoping someone would create a bumper sticker or T-Shirt. Phil and Adam (I believe) can set the price and possible earn a return from purchases but cafepress does all the production and distribution work.
Excellent letter Oscar, and I could not agree more with the way you have decided to go about this.
Please keep us posted and let us know what we can do.
Throwing gasoline on the fire, more likely.
It’s disgusting the way Bronner takes the Israeli point of view without question – well, don’t you think it could be that your actions are only exacerbating the problem? Wouldn’t you want to retaliate against people who bust into your homes every night on terrorist missions?
There was also this
So what about this Palestinian state we keep hearing about? Will the IDF still be conducting raids every night inside Palestine? Will they still be keeping their troops on the ground? Will the Shin Bet still keep its stable of collaborators and spies?
If they can’t stop harrassing the Palestinians now, what will be different once there is a so-called Palestinian state?
My guess is that Bronner’s coverage has less to do with the fact that he ” is married to an Israeli” than that he knows what his editors expect of him. How long would he stay employed at the NYT if he wrote the articles with the context that Phil provides? I agree that the NYTs is becoming increasingly irrelevant as a credible source of news on the IP issue. I am just curious about this: Phil, do you forward your remarks to him? I wonder if he ever reads what is written about him here or anything that is written on this site?
Howard, dude, you can email him with your own comments:
link to topics.nytimes.com
Just on the IP issue? After Judith Miller and the complicity in making the case for war in Iraq, how’s the NYT’s credibility on anything?
Chaos, my friend — Judith Miller, of course. She was a prima donna, the terror of the Washington bureau, and ultimately, a pawn of the Bush Administration and the neo-con-esque Office of Special Plans. The greatest example of how American journalism lost its way and became a propaganda engine for neo-con wet dreams.
But there’s also the “politically correct” scandal of Jayson Blair. Why should we believe that the NY Times can be trusted when virtually all of his stories were counterfeit/forgeries/plagiarism? He was one reporter — what about the rest of them?
I think the Times has great business reporters: Gretchen Mortgensen and Floyd Norris, Joseph Nocera, etc. But that’s no longer enough to make me want to buy the paper. Ever.
But the NY Times is screwed either way. Its coverage of the Middle East used to be even-handed, circa 2000-2001. But there was an organized Jewish boycott of the NYT, the LA Times and the WaPo in 2002 that caused the publications to be cowed into submission. Here’s the NY Times story on the organized assault it endured from the Zionist community. It was like a white phosphorus attack on its journalistic credibility(!):
link to nytimes.com
So now the NYT has Ethan Bronner and Isabel Kershner soft pedaling the Israeli apartheid in Palestine, with Bill Keller stupidly thinking we don’t notice the bias.
Hey, you want proof that BDS works . . . follow the Zionist model against the New York Times. Bad news, Richard Witty — here’s your proof . . . it works big time!
I thought you might appreciate the space that the Angry Arab News Service gives to Bronner’s caustic dribble (as an encouragement to Phil) –
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
“Ethan Bronner in Gaza
So Ethan Bronner went to Gaza. Oh. Is that not sweet. You don’t need to read the article as I will summarize: 1) he wants you to know that the misery in Gaza is related to this outrage: “A new sign on the Gaza side of the Israeli border bars even foreigners from bringing in alcohol.” He believes that this is the worst aspect of what is going on in Gaza. 2) he believes that the siege and strangulation of Gaza by Israel and Egypt is effective (and thus should continue): “Israel allows about 100 trucks a day to pass into Gaza bearing food, medicine and other humanitarian goods. But it has closed off commerce in the hope of alienating the population here from their rulers. That seems to be happening.” OK, Ethan. You may go back to Israel now. Thanks for the report. Without you, the world would not know of the misery in Gaza. ”
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
“Ethan Bronner version of the Middle East
Read this whole thing: it is blatantly a justification of Israeli war crimes in Lebanon and Gaza. But you would think from the title, that he is talking about both sides of the conflict. But notice that the only people cited are Israeli. Not a single Arab voice is cited or quoted. They don’t need to speak for themselves: Zionist occupiers (and their advocates) can speak for themselves. ”
Ethan Bronner and his standards
“Look at this passage: “The payoff from the use of force in the struggle between Israel and the Palestinians is evident. It was only after the first Palestinian uprising in the late 1980s that Israel recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization and started to consider a two-state solution, and after the second — and very bloody — uprising that it left Gaza in 2005. Meanwhile for many Israelis, the past decade looks like a model of the primacy of military action over diplomacy.” Palestinian violence is referred to as force and “bloody”, while Israeli violence is referred to as “military action.”"
Ethan Bronner: misuse of language for Israeli sake
“Look how Ethan Bronner (the chief Israeli propagandist at the time, assisted by Isabel Kershner and both use Taghreed El-Khodary as the token Arab name on some articles to soften the impact of hostility to Arabs, and Taghreed, truth be told, is willing to sign her name to whatever is given to her by the Times, even if it is a daily justification of Israeli murder of Palestinians) refers to an Israeli attack on Iran: “military endeavor — against Iran.” Are those people for real? Did Hitler undertake a “military endeavor” against Poland?”
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Ethan Bronner celebrates Tel Aviv
“”Tel Aviv is, in fact, the most politically liberal city in Israel and offers a sharp contrast to the spirit of religious conservatism that informs Jerusalem. It votes to the left and looks to Europe. Many inhabitants yearn for nothing more than to live the life of a hot Mediterranean city, to be, say, the Barcelona of the Middle East and forget the conflict a dozen miles away.” Oh, so we need to praise Tel Aviv because its residents vote for Labor wars and invasions as opposed to Likud wars and invasions, although–to be fair–the Israeli public favors wars and invasions no matter whether they are perpetrated by Labor or Likud. And most importantly, the city basically swamped and overwhelmed BY FORCE the city of Jaffa. And the residents of the city are part of the invading population that displaced the native population and then fought in Israeli wars and benefited from the race-ethnic privileges of the usurping entity. And notice that Bronner refers to Nakbah displacement as “a reference to Palestinians who fled in the 1948 war.” Even racist and rightwing Israeli historians, like Benny Morris, don’t use this language of Bronner. They concede that at least a part of them were forcibly and violently kicked out. But Bronner wants you to forget all that because Tel Aviv has Tapas bars. And please: lest you get too proud of this colonial settlement, Lebanon has “The King of Potatoes” restaurant in Hamra and it has cities, like the AbuKhalil’s birthplace, Tyre, that can celebrate their 5000 year anniversary. But it is amazing how much American Zionists struggle to find occasions to celebrate Israel and to concoct achievements for it. Tomorrow, Ethan Bronner will celebrate the use of blenders in Israel.”
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
“”a leading pragmatist of Likud”: the lexicon of Isabel Kershner
Of course, with Isabel Kershner (just as with Ethan Bronner) you know that you will get absolute and pure Israeli propaganda. But this attracted my attention yesterday: “a leading pragmatist of Likud.” Pragmatist of Likud? This is like a feminist of Wahhabism, or a culturally sensitive of Nazism, or a peace advocate of Bushism, or a secular of Wilayat Faqih, or a lefist of Fasicsm. Also, notice that she ends the report with a reference to “experts say.” Who are those expert? Only one: the adviser of Netanyahu himself. “
Which confirms that the NYT has become a metropolitan NYC Likudist rag, a local sheet for right-wing and extremist Jews. Gone is its former international character and grandeur. Now its a pamphleteer for Netanyahoo and the Yisrael Beitenu party; another Bush inheritance.
Phil,
Your bold assertions are not as authoritative as you opine.
I don’t know to what extent the Israeli or Palestinian actions in the West Bank characterized as “cutting the grass” occur, or interdict actual terror in progress.
You create a bit of a dilemma for Palestine in condemning the PA FOR interdicting terror (condemned as collaboration).
The math of it is of condemning the PA for interdicting terror, and in condemning the IDF for interdicting terror, the only equation by which one could draw that you were in opposition to terror in fact, would be if it wasn’t occurring.
Is it occurring? Is it being staged by Palestinians? Do you have knowledge that would bring that insight to bear?
You seem to be taken by Ali Abunimeh’s presentation this week.
Say hello to your mother and father, and family for me please.
God, if I had an asshole like you as a friend, I’d probably shoot myself.
After all, it takes the veritable font of Wittypocrisy to spend so much time attacking Mr. Weiss journalistic objectivity and then turn around and say, “Oh! Say hello to your family for me.” How exploitative — but then that’s Zionism for you.
i’ll be your friend Chaos, I’ve even got a firearm.
Heh. Said the first Zionist to the Palestinians when he arrived in Israel.
Phil, on Bronner: “…nightly Israeli raids” into the West Bank. 15 to 20 “actions” just the other night, an unnamed Israeli commander brags. “We call it cutting the grass.”"
Witty responds: “I don’t know to what extent the Israeli or Palestinian actions in the West Bank characterized as “cutting the grass” occur…”
Witty’s bold assertions are not as authoritative as he flatly states. At least he didn’t capitalize any of his usual operative verbs or adjectives for a change–he didn’t use any.
The US media is the actual Israel Lobby. What better weapon does Israel have? The portrayal of Israel as a victim and those who resist occupation and ethnic cleansing is as successful as the German media was for the Nazis. It is a myth that Jewish money keeps Congress in line. No amount of money can substitute for the relentless propaganda that keeps the weapons and money flowing from the US to Israel. All the money money contributed by Jewish Zionists and all the efforts of AIPAC and the like, can’t compare to the value of the repugnant racist propaganda of our media.
“those who resist occupation and ethnic cleansing as terrorists is as successful”
The Israeli “night riders,” often dressed in Palestinian garb and pretending to be civilians have been raiding Palestinian villages for years, committing assassinations and making arrests. They even have a name for themselves, “mistaravim”
The most disturbing part of the story for me, however, was not Bronner’s predictable reportage or even the refernce to “cutting grass.” Israeli sadism and racism is an integral part of its kulture. It was the sad and digusting fact that the US trained and armed Palestinian militia allows them to get away with it without firing a shot.
They are there to maintain law and order for the occupiers. For me, they are far worse than even the racist thugs of the IOF for each and every one of them has become a traitor, like the PA officials, who never ever complain about these raids.
This all stems from the disaster of Oslo which Arafat agreed to because the first intifada had been directed at him as well as Israel and had undermined his control. That is why he recognized the legitimacy of Israel within the 67 borders in 1988, in the intifada’s first year, when he declared Palestine’s “independence” from his Tunis headquarters.
On the 21st anniversary of that day a month or so ago, Al-Jazeera showed that very same Palestinian vende patria militia marching up and down a field with Palestinian flags while the PA “leadership” looked on.
There seems to be no discussion of this history anymore on any side, but it should not be forgotten that at the top of every communique that came out of Gaza at the beginning of the intifada in December, 1987, was the slogan, “No voice above the voice of the uprising!” And that meant Arafat!
Jeff Blankfurt describing “k”ulture.
Now we’re in the territory of journalistic integrity.
…not one comment about the fruits of Zionism, though, huh?
is religious discrimination a central ingredient to ‘k’ulture??
Why is Israel laying claim to an Arab home in Jaffa?
By Dana Weiler-Polak
link to haaretz.com
That is a really crappy deal and a huge injustice, but like much of the shit that is posted on here and by the commenters, there is more to the story. I am glad it was outlined in the link you supplied.
Yeah, there was more to the story about Hitler too. Doesn’t change the practical considerations of his actions, does it?
like much of the shit that is posted on here and by the commenters
To which you insist on wallowing in.
Well, yonira goes to all the trouble to bring it with him every time, and otherwise it would go to waste since none of us are going to touch it. Well, Witty maybe will touch and then say he didn’t touch it, or vice versa, just as long as his trademark “dichotomy” is preserved one supposes.
You mean like the hasbara use of the term “appeasement?”
Thanks, Jeffrey. I didn’t know about this, which is the reason why I love your posts. You add so much to this board.
i agree.. thanks jeffrey…
Thanks, guys. Now if I can only bring Witt – - — around.
Witty, have you read the Goldstone report yet?
Of course not.
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Does anyone have any insight into the backers of palestinienote: (link to palestinenote.com
They have some pretty good articles on IP from a Palestinian perspective. Probably going to be a good resource. I think it might be backed by Palestinians who make up the current PA – fatah establishment but have no good evidence for this yet. They have an article claiming that Marwan Barghouti is more popular internationally than he is in Palestine. I certainly cannot dispute this assertion given that I live here in the US. So I wonder: does Barghouti really lack political support or is the P-note more partisan and doesn’t want him to become President?
Judging by the topics and the writers, it looks really good. Thanks.
Here’s some background on the site:
link to ijnet.org
Shmuel, I think this could be a very good site. It seems they are open to a variety of Palestinian perspectives. That is important. There are dozens of different factions among the Palestinians and if this becomes an open forum for the many different views it could be extremely educational for us.
It’s a fine site, but I wish the proportion of contributors would be more Palestinian. One thing about the bitterlemons site, there are always two Palestinian voices.
Syvanen – that link didn’t work, but this one did:
link to palestinenote.com
At last, I’ve discovered why Dick Witty is a healthy writer who’s every breath we should cherish–in fact, if Dick ever finds a bit of spare time and sets up his own blog we should all go there, instead of here–turns out Phil is very sick with Jew Flu and he’s likely contagious:
link to haaretz.com
Ah, but can a gentile catch it, or does it immediately mutate into pnazi pneumonia?
I dunno, Shmuel; but if you take a look at this map of ethnic demography in the USA,
you will see Germans are the most pervasive, and if you then add Goldhagen’s thesis
about Germans as born with the mark of Cain, I guess that means most Gentiles in the USA will mutate, if for no other reason, than to support Dick Witty.
link to en.wikipedia.org
Then again, Shmuel, Ike and and Pershing (and Truman, must to name a very few) were German Americans, so what’s your prognosis? Don’t forget to factor in that an awful lot of the crosses at Arlington and Normandy support the graves of German Americans… I don’t think they register high on the dual loyalty meter. OTH, things may change since whites are demographically on the way out, something Israel is trying to stop for its purposes, with no value-based support here–but plenty for its special friend, Israel.
And don’t forget the guy who trained Washington’s troops at Valley Forge, and General Schwartkopf.
Notice how Bronner universally tags the Palestinian captives (many of whom have likely not been charged formally with anything, let alone with belonging to armed groups) with the term “fighters”:
But a national outpouring for Sergeant Shalit has meant that a deal is brewing that could free perhaps 1,000 Palestinian fighters, some of them planners of suicide bombings.
I’ve seen a similar practice in Haaretz articles, referring to Palestinian prisoners as “Hamas prisoners”. These forms of labeling are clearly factually wrong, and serve to demonize and slander Palestinian prisoners while legitimizing a thoroughly abusive and arbitrary “justice” system in the occupied territories.
Ain’t administrative detention great? Best thing ever concocted by any democracy, yes?
Just one of many wonderful Israeli imports we’re enjoying here in the US. Can you believe that BDS is gaining momentum, though, really?
I suppose that’s better than “terrorists”, which is also used indiscriminately to apply to Palestinian prisoners. Ha’aretz seems never to have heard of the term “alleged”.
It just occurred to me that Bronner blithely skipped over Othman’s case without so much as a passing reference. Othman is a picture-perfect example of “cutting the grass” — a non-violent protester locked up by the IDF indefinitely without being charged. Our best friend in the region, and the only democracy in the Middle East with shared values like ours! What a truckload of hasbara.
Othman’s arrest and administrative detention represent an escalation of previous Israeli tactics whose motto, actually the motto of Israel and every one of its government departments,hirelings and appointees, in Israel and in the US, is “we do whatever we can get away with” and they are allowed to get away with the highest crime, which is murder. And that, Mr. Witty, is when I refer to Israeli kulture I spell it a “k.”
One more aspect of the Israelis entering the refugee camps and making arrests in the night is that they do not just arrest the person, they blow up the house or dwelling in which he had been living. If there is another apartment with another family living above, they suffer, as well. I’ve seen this for myself and it is just another reason that I believe that not only is zionism inherently racist, it has now become hopelessly and unforgivably sadistic.
And this, Jeffrey, is what regular walk-about ordinary American Jews, who pay no attention to the IP situation other than to occasional statements made or overheard during the holidays with friends and family, need to understand: it [Zionism] has now become hopelessly and unforgivably sadistic.
In two short paragraphs, you described the horror. Plainly.
I recently read a news article about a recruit in the IDF who had been systematically abused ever since he was assigned to his unit – a victim of a prevailing culture of sadism. Only when there are no convenient Arabs within reach, any other victim will do.