Ultra Zionism is the meat-n-potatoes of the MSM

by on April 1, 2010 25
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Is this an editorial? Gabe Pressman of WNBC New York rants about how awful Obama is being to the Jews by making us give up Jerusalem. This reminds me of those signs, Palestine must be free, from the river to the sea! except that those partisans are at rallies, and this guy is in a big TV station.

About Philip Weiss

Philip Weiss is Founder and Co-Editor of Mondoweiss.net.
Posted in Beyondoweiss, Israel Lobby

{ 25 comments... read them below or add one }

  1. Citizen says:
    April 1, 2010 at 8:59 am

    If you want to see how Australians are thinking and feeling these days about Israel and the Obama-Israel riff, read the following article about this subject in the Australian press–and, most especially the 83 comments following it; all but 8 of which condemn
    Israel and hope that Obama will stand up to Israel for the sake of the entire world:
    link to smh.com.au

    • Sumud says:
      April 1, 2010 at 12:29 pm

      Citizen I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the quality and depth of comments on comments at some of the AU papers, but I’m still waiting for any of our leaders other than Bob Brown to speak (or even think) critically of Israel.

      PM Rudd, deputy PM Gillard, opposition leader Abbott and eternal deputy Bishop – I list the names for non-Aussies – are all pro-Israel sycophants. While Swedish pension funds are divesting from Elbit the government recently awarded them a $300 million contract. The Australian Government was largely silent during the Gaza Massacre and then voted against the Goldstone Report. Only after the passport scandal was that vote changed from against to abstain a month ago when Goldstone Report was tabled again.

      In 2003 or 2004 PM Howard started voting with Israel, the US, and the US-led Pacific micronations (whose pro-Israel position Norman Finkelstein love to mock) against the annual peaceful-resolution-of-Palestine bill that the UN passes. Australia has it’s eyes on a seat at the UN Security Council and there’s talk that will be blocked by the Arab nations who resent Australia.

      I hope that’s enough but to bring about a change of position but – I am deeply disappointed with Australian politicians on another level. We’re a relatively young nation, still grappling with our colonial past. The official Government “Sorry” to the indigenous peoples of Australia was a BIG deal for everybody, it and the immediate signing of Kyoto were strong signs that Rudd intended to flush away the stale and divisive Howard years. But I have to question that Sorry statement – when our leaders are almost entirely uncritical of Israel. Surely Australia, with such an understanding of colonialism, should be among Israel’s loudest critics?

      • thankgodimatheist says:
        April 1, 2010 at 8:53 pm

        I didn’t read the article yet but what I gather from friends (I live in Sydney) is a palpable if not a remarkable shift in opinions. Not longtime time ago, I was losing friends (three to be accurate) for having clearly stated pro- Palestinian opinions and strong criticisms of an expansionist, racist state of Israel. Israel’s image as a victim surrounded by hostile terror prone neighbours is now far behind in the actual course of action where on a daily basis we’re exposed to more settlement building and expansion.. Uprooting of the Palestinians from their lands and homes is now, if not widely advertised, at least noticeable enough in order to get the wider community’s attention and cause concern. Attitudes are changing, slowly but they are..

  2. sherbrsi says:
    April 1, 2010 at 9:03 am

    Pressman must be commended for using every trick in the book for appealing to the emotion. It makes for a poor subtitute for the lack of moral or legal legitimacy, but it’s one logical fallacy that must be used tactfully, and here Pressman goes all out.

    Too bad nobody is buying his atrocious reporting. It’s heartening to see in the comments that people are looking through the deceit and assessing the rift for what it is.

  3. Citizen says:
    April 1, 2010 at 9:04 am

    I also noticed that all seven comments on Pressman’s love song to stiff-necked Israel are against it.

  4. bob says:
    April 1, 2010 at 9:13 am

    When did making Israel stop dispossessing people in a Jerusalem land-grab transform into makingJews give up Jerusalem?

    • Sumud says:
      April 1, 2010 at 1:03 pm

      Some of the rhetoric deployed against Obama on the last few weeks has been seriously over the top.

      Here’s major turd Greg Sheridan, foreign editor at The Australian, implying Obama’s recent frostiness towards Netanyahu is an “anti-Israel Jihad”. In other words, tea-baggers delight: Obama is a muslim.

      link to theaustralian.com.au

      Sheridan writes in full attack mode, and in the final paragraphs reveals why: he’s deeply concerned Australia will follow Britains lead and expel a diplomat over the passports issue. I hope we follow New Zealand’s lead in 2004 after their own Mossad passport scandal: the kiwis had the good sense to impose diplomatic sanctions on Israel for around a year until an official apology was received. I somehow doubt that will happen though.

  5. potsherd says:
    April 1, 2010 at 9:22 am

    I’m beginning to seriously question those polls that insist half the people in the US “support Israel” whatever that means.

    I think that the main reason the “Israel problem” is so rarely allowed to be mentioned in the MSM is fear of letting the lid off a powerful feeling of outrage that has to be denied.

    • bob says:
      April 1, 2010 at 9:27 am

      It is my opinion that, in no small part, the lid to be contained is on the propagandistic narrative. As soon as someone performs even minor research into Israeli/Middle Eastern history, or encounters dissenting posters bringing another point of view, the propaganda falls apart rather quickly on its own. Its my opinion that any anger comes from the realization of being lied to.

      • sherbrsi says:
        April 1, 2010 at 9:44 am

        It’s a powerful tool of the silencers to produce the image that dissenting opinions are isolated opinions. Thus the MSM works towards the image of conformity towards “supporting Israel,” for those who are not on the bandwagon or are against Israel, are then automatically marginalized for having conflicting sentiments. And of course, the more vocal of the dissenters are then hammered down with the weapon of the race card, i.e. the labelling of the anti-semite.

        Someone here mentioned that the best form of book-burning that Zionists practice is self-censorship. Well, this kind of control over the debate is one of the first steps taken to silence conflicting opinions. It’s not unique to the I/P conflict but it most visibly and prevalently employed there. I believe Chomsky explores these issues of the MSM in Manufacturing Consent.

        • bob says:
          April 1, 2010 at 9:57 am

          Bandwagon, you say?

          Hasbara Handbook
          Bandwagon Most people, when in doubt, are happy to do what other people are doing. This is the bandwagon effect. People are happy to be part of the crowd, and subtle manipulators can play on this desire by emphasizing the large size of their support. Although it is reasonable that people are given a chance to find out how many other supporters a speaker or movement has, often it is possible to create the impression of extensive support – through gathering all supporters in one place, or through poorly conducted opinion polls – in an attempt to persuade people who are keen to follow the crowd.

          Israel activists can commission opinion polls amongst groups who favour Israel, and use these to give the impression that Israel is the ‘team to support’. Demonstrations, and even photos that give the impression of large numbers can help to create the impression that Israel is even more popular than it is.

        • Sumud says:
          April 1, 2010 at 1:26 pm

          Bob check out this alternate hasbara handbook from 2009, The Israel Project’s “Global Language Dictionary”"

          link to australiansforpalestine.com

          “We want you to succeed in winning the hearts and minds of the public”

          Sound familiar?

          It could be an American general talking to soldiers about Afghanistan. But no, it’s the Israel Project’s President talking about Americans in said report.

        • bob says:
          April 1, 2010 at 3:18 pm

          Thanks, Sumud. Silverstein has a nice breakdown of that bit of hasbara how-to.

          Part 1
          Part 2
          Part 3

  6. Chu says:
    April 1, 2010 at 11:41 am

    “For many Israelis — and many American Jews — this was an insult. And apparently that was intended.”

    There should be a special prison for media trash like Pressman.
    What gall these people have.
    And notice the comments after pressman’s piece are all negative.

  7. Chu says:
    April 1, 2010 at 11:52 am

    Article compares AIPAC to the AJC in 1933:

    link to gilad.co.uk

    AIPAC leaders are clearly repeating the grave mistakes of their forebearers: the American Jewish Congress. They do not learn from their history, for there is not a single Jewish history text to learn from. Instead of a history text, Jews have the Holocaust, an event that matured into a religion.

    • wondering jew says:
      April 1, 2010 at 3:41 pm

      Gilad Atzmon argues that the Jews should not have boycotted Germany because to do so only antagonized an essentially powerless person. Do you agree with that?!! He also asserts that Hitler was not all powerful at the time of the boycott, even though the Reichstag had already been burnt down. Do you agree with that?!!

      • Chu says:
        April 1, 2010 at 4:31 pm

        I don’t agree, but I think his viewpoint is unique and he is worth reading.
        Do you think the boycott against Germany was a good idea for German Jews?

        I agree with his point about Jews in AIPAC are will create animosity.

        “I assume that, similarly, once things turn sour between America and its Jewish lobbies, Jewish tribal ideologists will be the first to forget that it was the Jewish American establishment that worked so hard to nourish the inevitable animosity.”

  8. potsherd says:
    April 1, 2010 at 12:29 pm

    It has been understood for some time that both peoples will have to share Jerusalem. The Jewish neighborhood where the new housing will be built was never intended to be placed in Palestinian hands.

    Never intended by Israel, maybe.

    But Pressman ought to let BYahoo know about this understanding. He seems to have lost the memo.

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  10. Les says:
    April 1, 2010 at 2:12 pm

    Is Gabe Pressman a practitioner of white phosphorus Judaism?

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