We’ve kept tabs on the new Israeli report saying that Muhammad al-Dura’s killing in Gaza in 2000 was staged, and particularly on the New York Times account of the report treating it as serious when so many others have written it off. Our friend Harry Hjalmarson sent the following letter to the New York Times the other day. He allowed us to publish it.
Hello,
On Monday, May 20, 2013, my Kindle edition of the New York Times displayed an article titled “Israeli report casting new doubts on shooting in Gaza” by Isabel Kershner. This report seemed definitive until I reached the end of the article. In the last portion, I learned that the investigative body had never contacted the father of the boy. At that moment, I understood that the report is military propaganda.
Now I infer that this article was simply an attempt to help the Israeli government with their whitewashing of this particular shooting. Although many others have been reported, this one received special attention because it was part of a documentary. This was evidently the reason for the new investigation. I assume that the aid of the New York Times was requested to publicize the results. Finally, Isabel Kershner seems to have agreed to use her journalistic credibility in the form of her name on this article.
I note that in the future I will ignore anything out of the ordinary reported by Isabel Kershner because I won’t know if she wrote it as a reporter or in some other role.
Harold P. Hjalmarson
Albuquerque, NM
Well said, Harold, but shouldn’t your rule apply to the NYTimes itself, not just this one writer?
RE: “Why did ‘NYT’ serve as platform for ‘military propaganda’?”
MY COMMENT: According to what I have read, the “New York Times”, the Associated Press, and most other western press (sometimes excluding press like the UK’s Independent, France’s Le Monde, or Germany’s Der Speigel, etc.) routinely print what the Israeli Government and/or the IDF provide to them (often without questioning it). There are numerous reasons for this.
I will mention just a few of the reasons. First of all, remember that even the foreign press/media in Israel is subject to Israel’s military censors. Secondly, Israel and the IDF use various means to make it difficult for the foreign press in Israel to get the Palestinian side of the story. Also, some of the home offices of the western press/media claim that it is too dangerous for their journalists in Israel to travel to the West Bank or Gaza.
There are numerous articles about all of this (some on Mondoweiss, I think), but I’m not certain that I have the time to look for them.
URI AVNERY ON THE SORRY STATE OF THE ISRAELI MEDIA/PRESS (WHICH INEVITABLY AFFECTE THE FORIEGN PRESS IN ISRAEL AS WELL):
“Israel’s Weird Elections”, by Uri Avnery, Counterpunch, 1/04/13:
ENTIRE COMMENTARY – http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/01/04/israels-weird-elections/
ALSO SEE: “2012 Democracy Index Ranks Israel 37th”, by Richard Silverstein, Tikun Olam, 5/18/13
SOURCE – http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2013/05/18/2012-democracy-index-ranks-israel-36th/
Now, let’s imagine what happens when somebody at the NYT gets this letter.
Harold, I am surprised the see that you were surprised by the New York Times; do not be, this is what we have learned to expect from most U.S news source, as well as any politician. Serving as a propaganda arm for the state of Israel is par for the course over here for main stream news sources, as well as for politicos. I must surmise from your surprise that you either are new to this issue orrrrr you do not live in the United States, either that or this is just you being as polite as possible in your approach to the NYT. Either way this is the lay of the road re: the subject of Israel: support and sycophantic propaganda in support for anything Israel does is the American way.
If you really need to know why the New York Times served as a platform for military propaganda for Israel, then let me tell you what i have learned, we live in country where Zionist Jewish americans wield a lot of political power, and they use it all the time to protect the Israel brand here in the States, as Phil has catalogued here at Mondoweiss. This website has covered issue after issue, confrontation after confrontation, where we have seen the Zionist win battle after battle, but the damm does seem be have been broached a few times and is showing signs of serious strain.
Support for Israel is the Golden calf, now all we need is for a Moses to come down from the mountain with the ten commandments and chastise the tribe for their idolatry.
Is there a Moses in the house? someone with the status of a Moses?
Exodus 32
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it.
When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.
How will the Lord deal with the new Idolatry?
Here is what the NYT did with the Israeli report
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/israel-questions-gaza-boy-s-death-1.1400573
They share the “good news” far and wide.
Propaganda is of little use without (a)broad audience .
After all, Israel spent a lot of American Taxpayers money coming up with this vile conclusion.