One of the goals of this site is to promote critical discussion and debate on US foreign policy and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We want Mondoweiss to be a place that everyone feels comfortable visiting, to read and comment, regardless of political perspective. People might not always like what we post, but everyone should feel invited and encouraged to join the discussion, share their opinions, and engage in debate.
Unfortunately, more and more we are hearing that people are not comfortable participating in the site because of the noxious and often abusive language that proliferates in the comments section. We've tried the hands-off approach, hoping the site would regulate itself. This hasn't worked.
For this reason we are putting in place the following ground rules:
1. No racist or sexist comments. This includes anti-Arab, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic comments (and yes, Christian-bashing too). This includes comments that disparage, intimidate or attack a person based on perceived ethnicity or gender.
2. No Nakba or Holocaust denial. We're not going to tolerate any discussion of the Jewish role in the rise of the Nazis which is used as a pretext for blaming Jews for the Nazi rise, a form of Holocaust denial we want no part of. Similarly, this policy includes Nakba denial as well, and efforts to blame the expulsion of Palestinians in 1948 on Palestinian actions.
3. No profanity. Along with racism and sexism the prevalence of profanity in the comments on the blog has forced people away. This has to end.
4. No personal attacks. We encourage spirited, passionate debate, but if you have to resort to vicious personal attack, you're not advancing the discussion. Stay on the issues.
5. No imposture. You can use any pseudonym you like, but if you represent yourself as someone you're not, you're outta here.
6. No trolling. Wikipedia defines trolling as "someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response." That definition is good enough for us. We hope our comment section can feature an engaged and free flowing debate, but we are not interested in commenters whose only aim is to disrupt or sabotage the discussion.
7. This is not a site to discuss 9/11 theories. This discussion turns into a huge distraction, is not central to the life of the site, and is a drag on the moderators.
If we judge that you have broken one of these rules you will be banned. We will ban the IP address you are posting from and if you try to post from another IP address we will ban that as well.
We like to think that this site has become a dynamic and necessary forum. Your help will ensure that it continues to grow and develop.
Thanks,
Phil & Adam
While the world is focused on Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain, Israel (as usual in these types of situations) conducts aerial bombardment in Gaza
link to english.aljazeera.net
Every site needs a comment policy – good move there – but unless it is fairly and fairly-strictly enforced, it’s not worth much.
Best of luck (sincerely) with the new policy.
Dear Mondoweiss: 1.2.3.
1. Has anyone followed up on the possibility that an unpaid Thai worker was behind the Itimar murders?
2. Is there any study of the Thai workers community or their condietions in Itimar?
3. Who could do this and shouldn’t it be done before everyone is left believing (convinced) that Palestinians were behind the murder?
Why wasn’t my comment to the Itamar article posted? If there was some sort of problem, please let me know–simply not posting it does not look like you are interested in creating dialogue.
As for Alvin Alexsi Currier’s question, a Palestinian group initially took credit for the slaying and celebrations among Palestinians were in effect. If you need me to substantiate that FACT, then contact me and I will do so. As far as why people are “convinced” that Palestinians are behind the murder, it’s pretty obvious if you’ve been observing the last 100 years (or more) of activity in the region. Why are you so desperate to believe otherwise? And if you are so intent on trying to challenge this, are you also challenging the allegations against the IDF that commonly appear on this site?
See? Avid “Researcher” is damn sure those dirty Arabs did it. So there.
And you wonder why your comment probably got blocked, huh.
Dear Avid, what can I tell you? The whole world sucks!
oh let me take a stab at why it might not have made it thru moderation.
a Palestinian group initially took credit for the slaying and celebrations among Palestinians were in effect.
someone reported a palestinian group took credit for it but there was no confirmation of this alleged ‘credit’ in fact it was denied. it was also reported another palestinian group took credit but it isn’t even confirmed this group exists. for example i could write in to the police and claim i represent a palestinian group that doesn’t exist and claim responsibility for the crime, i could do that from california and them it could be reported a palestinian group claimed credit for the crime. and then you could write something stupid like ‘If you need me to substantiate that FACT, then contact me ‘ when the only ‘fact’ you were substantiating is that someone claiming to be a palestinian group claimed credit for it. do you think a settler could figure out that complicated process? me too. that is why when it was first reported in the press some alleged group under the name of the hezzbollah martyr claimed responsibility the press even reported the idf questioned the truthieness of this report.
i reported and linked last night in the thread the murders were revealed the same day a unity rally was held in gaza, one that began the day before on friday the eleventh. there were many many photos of this rally but one caption claiming they were celebrating the murder sets hasbarists on a roll repeating this lie til kingdom kome. meanwhile the msm chose not to report the rally (oh gee wonder why) there have been no confirmation of this alleged murder celebration it is only repeated by hasbarists like yourself who relish in any news (real or not) confirming your lust for proof palestinian are not normal people.
iow, someone might have assessed your comment held untruths. maybe this comment should have been banned for that alone although that’s not implicit in the rules.
As far as why people are “convinced” that Palestinians are behind the murder, it’s pretty obvious if you’ve been observing the last 100 years (or more) of activity in the region.
perhaps if you are an israeli you are not aware of the little tradition we have here in the US called ‘innocent until proven guilty’. what is ‘pretty obvious’ to a racist might not be obvious to the rest of us. or more importantly someone reading your comment might have interpreted your comment as a result of a racist interpretation of reality.
those are just a few examples of why i might have trashed the comment you just made. having not seen your other one i can only speculate you probably just sounded like..yourself. this site isn’t a democracy. some people might not be that interested in engaging w/certain kinds of discourse. if you want your comments to get thru try cleaning up your act. that would be my advice to you. also remember hasbarists are a penny a thousand (more common than a dime a dozen by a large %), there are many out there. maybe you need us more than we need you. remember that. every single rabid zionist hasbarists should be kept on a very short leash here as far as i am concerned. of course that just my opinion, i can’t speak for the site. review the rules and see where your comment may have crossed the line.
Considering none of you know the comment I am talking about, you’re not really in a position to dispute it.
What’s up with “every single rabid zionist hasbarists should be kept on a very short leash here as far as i am concerned?” I don’t think my post was particularly rabid. So in other words, anyone that challenges your point of view should be silenced?
So let me re-pose my question. You wrote a miniature book here about “innocent until proven guilty.” Do you apply the same standards to the Israel Defense Forces? When an article from the ISM comes out making all sorts of outrageous claims about soldiers’ behavior, do you challenge the source there? Or do you immediately take it as fact and write harsh words of condemnation?
As far as what I hate said about the Palestinians, their history, and their recent act of savage butchery, at least read this article. It’s by Larry Derfner, who has made a career out of being a harsh critic of Israeli policy, so it’s from anything but a pro-Israel source.
link to jpost.com
So no, my views do not in any way stem from racism and I’ll bet that I’m friends with more Arabs than you are, and I mean in real time, that I spend time with every day. Don’t accuse me of being a racist when you don’t know the first thing about me.
Considering none of you know the comment I am talking about, you’re not really in a position to dispute it.
perhaps you did not noticed i used examples from the comment on this thread to demonstrate why your comment may not have made it thru moderation: “those are just a few examples of why i might have trashed the comment you just made. having not seen your other one i can only speculate you probably just sounded like..yourself.”
comprendo?
So in other words, anyone that challenges your point of view should be silenced?
a ‘short leash’ doesn’t mean silencing.
You wrote a miniature book here about “innocent until proven guilty.” Do you apply the same standards to the Israel Defense Forces? When an article from the ISM comes out making all sorts of outrageous claims about soldiers’ behavior, do you challenge the source there? Or do you immediately take it as fact and write harsh words of condemnation?
please provide me with an example of a crime no witnesses and i will give you my answer.
As far as what I hate said about the Palestinians, their history, and their recent act of savage butchery……..my views do not in any way stem from racism and I’ll bet that I’m friends with more Arabs than you are
let’s just say i’m not convinced. i do not care how much you claim this writer has made a career out of being a harsh critic of Israeli policy (if he were famous for it i might have heard of him), i am really not interested in the opinion of a person who assumes he knows who the killer(s) is when there is thus far no evidence.
What Palestinians cannot do, though, is take collective responsibility for such an abomination
please link to an article confirming israelis have taken collective responsibility for the oshenko family slaughter that occurred in 09. i’m a little confused by the reporters claim of “moral cowardice ” especially in light of him reporting the palestinian reaction as “from all evidence, they do genuinely deplore it”.
also, i noticed by him diverting the attention from israeli torture of palestinians. i wonder if he used the same racist arguments to condemn every jew for the brutal occupation the way he has used this crime to condemn every palestinian you wouldn’t call it anti semitic? i doubt it.
‘Until Jews acknowledge savage streak in their society, resolve to root it out, then there will be more abominations done in their name. ‘
“I don’t think my post was particularly rabid.”
ROTFLMSJAO! Yeah it’s only the “particularly rabid” ones you gotta watch out for.
I read defensiveness by both Avid researcher, but even more so by his detractors. There is no trust, and there is no conversation. Instead I read creations generated to justify one’s polemics. No ideas have been considered valid by each polemicist, and so this is fighting. Both sides each trying to verbally silence the other.
I wag my righteous, know-it-all finger at you. Do you have rooms you can all go to?
So who actually does the “moderating,” and why is it that someone can have every comment he posts be whisked away into the void, and never receive a response after repeated inquiries as to the reasons or justifications?
“So who actually does the “moderating,”
It’s a secret!
Anyway, you think you’ve got it bad, and that ain’t good? Look at me, pal, Mondoweiss publishes three or four times as many comments under my name as I write!
Thanks, Mooser. That got the day started off with a laugh.
someone can have every comment he posts be whisked away into the void, and never receive a response after repeated inquiries as to the reasons or justifications?
every comment? do you have any evidence this happens? what would be the point of keeping a poster around if they were going to trash all their comments? i’m sure they would just ban them.
maybe you’d have more fun at a site like this. notice the 300 plus comments debating what and wasn’t anti semitic?
this site isn’t a democracy and it isn’t up to the commenters what passes moderation except on those times someone might complain thru the report function and the comment disappears. maybe phil and adam have better things to do than explain every banned comment. if someone has something important to say and it doesn’t make it on the thread they have the option of rewording and trying again.
but if you want to be part of a community that self moderates try that link, i know from experience you would fit in there and it’s a very important site, one where you could really make a difference.
I’m confident that what I described is what has occurred, and that if the individual was “banned,” he was never formally warned or given any reason for the banning. Furthermore, it would be ludicrous to claim that his commenting style was even remotely comparable in offensiveness to the normal verbal conduct of numerous regulars at this site.
The policy obviously seems to be that, if you are perceived by someone to have the “right” ideology, you can get away with anything. If not, you can simply be disappeared, while everyone pretends that this is a fair and open “community.”
Now, if you’re able to give an informative answer to my questions, annie, how about doing so, instead of providing yet another typical comment chock full of flagrant and never moderated violations of Rule No. 3?
yes, i do think people just get disappeared. but that’s not that unusual around the internet. i just got disappeared from the site i linked you too. well, not quite just disappeared. they first tried to ban me accusing me of being a sockpuppet. then i think i was put on some kind of temporary thing. i guess i got banned, my comment function doesn’t work any more but i can still log in. i never really asked them if i was banned but effectively what’s the difference of being able to log in if you can’t comment. whatever, it’s their business tho. it got excruciating posting there anyway, on and on conversations about the rules and having to endure the zionists moaning and groaning about how unfair it is and the continual anti arab discourse. of course they’ve driven off most of the regular pro posters so the comment section is kinda a zionist controlled zone.
so is that an answer for you, people can just be disappeared i guess. why not? like i said it is not a democracy. there have been people on the pro p side who have disappeared from here too.
Furthermore, it would be ludicrous to claim that his commenting style was even remotely comparable in offensiveness to the normal verbal conduct of numerous regulars at this site.
there are different kinds of offenses. maybe it was one of those posters that commented 10 times in 15 minutes and the mods got sick of reading all their stuff.
why are you so worried about it ck? if you don’t like the comment policy here why not just go somewhere else? i don’t understand your problem. aren’t there an abundance of sites on the internet more valuable for a zionist voice than here?
or do you think this site is especially targeted like i do? personally i think it’s the best i/p site on the internet.
annie, that’s not an answer. You’re being evasive.
evasive? you would have to ask phil or adam about their banning policy if you want more. you have been around here as long as i have potsherd so your guess is as good as mine. doesn’t it seem to you like sometimes posters just disappear? i don’t know that there is a blanket policy but i don’t think there is. i don’t know any other way to say it. i complain when i get sick of certain posters. i’ve had an email exchange with one other poster here who complained to phil about a poster who was eventually banned.
I would think this would be a great blog for a Zionist. This blog was started with 4 aims, and I would think that nothing would be more healthy than non-provincial perspective. I am reminded of WWII films taken from the Japanese point of view.
This IS a progressive blog, no?
Dead silence reigns – so I guess the answer is NO.
what dead silence? the post is from april. a comment like yours flushes thru the robo function on the home page in moments(unless like a crap shoot it lands there for hrs due to mods taking a break). what wasn’t answered for you david?
yes, i do think people just get disappeared.
not clear enough?
not really. the site does ban both sides of the spectrum. the site makes no pretenses of being anything but what it is. why don’t you be more specific wrt what you perceive as unclear or unanswered.
as i mentioned earlier if you are one of those people that enjoy community moderation go to dkos. they have endless threads there about what is or isn’t ok. here, people are just banned and nobody seems to notice their absence that much as far as i can tell. the hasbrats are a dime a dozen. ban one another replaces him the same day. the israel project sees to that. and then there are those ‘special trolls’. the ones that come at you from the left and push the envelope w/anti semitic crap. of course we never know whether they are ‘real’ or here to set up the site. but they go either way.
so spill the beans david. what do you want to know?
I think David was answering my rhetorical question, “This IS a progressive blog, no?”, Annie.
yes, it covers issues from a progressive pt of view. but i don’t think it is moderated ‘progressively’. but i will tell you one thing, it isn’t run in a zionist fashion. no one gets detained and held w/no charges for unknown periods of time. there are no gag orders iow if someone does asks where someone went they do not get banned for it. it’s not as if we treat it like the zionist gov treats the freedom theatre. so we’re a damn sight better than those policies we abhor. at least we do not pretend to be a democracy. i wonder how the 18 year old daughter of the mayor of bethlehem is doing today? what is she eating in prison held w/no charges. did she sleep well? is someone torturing her today, or questioning her? we’re sure as heck more progressive than that. and look on the bright side. no endless comment section filled w/CRAP about what is or is not anti semitic..unlike other blogs we know. what brings you here tonight miko? long time no see.
I think if there is a good argument to be had by certain Pro-Israelis, then they are able to make it, as well for those who feel the Palestinians are getting screwed still since the beginning of the 20th century, during the British Mandatory and the Balfourism that followed, as I do, but the difference may be that the Pro-Iraelis are running out of being able to justify their actions having revised history for so long and their shill the great exceptionalists the US, while the truth cannot remain hidden forever, and that is the Palestinian side. WWII following Europe’s guilt and a young 2 yr old UN through the UNSCOP made a terrible decision to compensate the sufferers of the Jewish Holocaust by giving them Palestine, and the Zios jumped at their chance to go from 5.8% of the land to 55%, as mandated by the UNSCOP. So, chalk up part of the debacle to ignorance and a flagrant disregard of the Palestinians feelings in favor of the ZIOs, notice I say ZIOs not Jews, cuz’ all Jews thankfully are not ZIOs, however the UN made no such distinction. Israeli claimed security threats were their problem yet they are the aggressors mostly.
Sorry, off topic a bit but just making the point that this site will accept all good arguments on both sides, it is just that the Zios only argument left is if you question their crimes they yell anti-semitism, and if that is not so, then make a better argument, ZIOs.
Thanks for bringing back the “recent comments” sidebar!
I’d be more than happy to support you, that is if you ran my comments. I’ve written nothing in the past two or three comments section that could be considered trolling. I’ve merely disagreed with your anti-Zionist stance. I have not gone out of my way to offend.
When you’re willing to give voice to other voices, fine, I’ll donate.
And what I find so strange about this is that you regularly revile Marty Peretz (and he deserves much of your reviling), yet Marty ALWAYS allows posters to say whatever they like–to the point of calling him a demented old man, a fucking bastard, a racist liar. I’m not suggesting you stand for this kind of abuse, but it’s strange that you have such a heavily censored cite. You have a couple of pro-Israeli posters, but I’m sure there’d be a lot more pro-Israeli points of view if they were allowed in. So in a way, you have your own separation-barrier. Strange for a man who claims he wants open conversation. I guess “open” means as long as you regularly refer to Israelis as Nazis and fascists.
And annie: like I said, this, in your words, “yes, i do think people just get disappeared. but that’s not that unusual around the internet” is somewhat unusual. At least for the places I check out. I can’t remember when TNR (you know, that site I mentioned that’s run by the dybbuk) has never disappeared anyone. And I’ve been harassed plenty over there. Though I could care less. If someone calls me a blithering idiot or bitch, who gives a crap.
I joined mondoweiss recently after looking around for an open forum to discuss Middle East issues. After reading some of the posts and comments I have sensed a certain bias which is not borne out in the site’s comments policy. If anti-Zionism and opposition to principles like democracy are tenets of mondoweiss, why hasn’t your politburo been honest and officially enshrined them in the comments policy guidelines on this page. so we know where we stand? Or is honesty another mondoweiss taboo?
i have a technical question on posting comments….
how do people add italics/bold, post blocked quotes, or put a hyperlink on chosen text?
i assume i need to use some wordpress portal or something??? just using the blog itself from my browser, i see no options to do such… and am ignorant of another way to post.
thanks for the help in advance.
It would be nice if the powers that be gave some attention to requests for help about how to use this site. I think they are preoccupied with eliminating Zionists.
hi anon, one uses html links here just linke most other sites in the internet. if you google html links there are many sites that explain them. here’s one.
but for a really easy way to understand it, the way i learned actually was this site. go to any thread and click on ‘comments’ at the end and then scroll. there is a very simple instructional presented under “Allowed HTML Tags:”.
i would post them but they transform when you write them. good luck and ask again if you still cannot figure this out. people will help you and thanks for asking. ciao.
How long do we have to support Zionist centric policies in Middle East? Can anybody tell me how long? Until ve completely go bankrupt ? When? anybody? Why Israelis cannot do the dirty jobs themselves? If they want to attack Iran, be my guess, do not ask for our tax dollars our technology and certainly NOT our troops.
How long do we have to support Zionist centric policies in Middle East? Can anybody tell me how long? Until ve completely go bankrupt ? When? anybody? Why Israelis cannot do the dirty jobs themselves? If they want to attack Iran, be my guess–do not ask for our tax dollars our technology and certainly NOT our troops. The truth is, Israelis know they cannot fight without US and Western help. Further Israelis used to idea of free money getting free billions dollars without any condition from our tax dollars. How long are we going to tolerate these policies? For those in discontent with economy, living standards–protest your government’s foreign policies in the Middle East. These failed pro-Israeli policies to blame first.
I am very concerned about American Israel “firsters’ attempts to work toward deposition of President Obama in the coming election in favor of a president who will bend to Israel’s call for war with Iran, continued settlement building in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and so on. I also feel that Obama needs “numbers”: strong citizen support of his (what to me) is rational policy toward Israel, i.e. we’ll help you if someone attacks you, but not if you attack others. Can anyone put my mind at rest or suggest how we, common everyday citizens, can support the current administration’s policies toward Israel effectively? Sure: letters to the editor, contact with elected officials, but beyond that, what?
So Wondering Jews comments telling us which Iranians deserved to die (along with the “collateral damage”) are just fine?
It is so obvious what is going on at Mondoweiss. You can just about hear the thoughts in the part that comes after Mondo: ‘But what if Israel and the Zionists prevail? Where will that leave me? Reliant on my murky and inchoherent writing and immature emotions, and bereft of philosemitism forever?’