Once again, the New York Times has turned over its coverage of the ongoing Gaza protests to Hasbara Central, Israel’s propaganda apparatus. Its article, on the fifth Friday of the Great March of Return, should be regarded not as a “report,” but as a prior justification for the full-scale massacre Israel is surely planning as the Gaza marches lead toward the May 15 culmination on Land Day.
After Norman Finkelstein and Sana Kassem posted a video on April 22 hailing the Gaza protesters with images of Yaser Murtaja, the journalist slain by an Israeli sniper, Youtube removed it within a day, saying it violates poicy against “sensational” and “shocking” incitement to “violence” or “dangerous activities.”
Roger Cohen argues in the New York Times that the right of return is code for pushing Jews into the sea. Joseph Levine issues a challenge to Cohen and other liberal Zionists: “It’s time to stop the scare tactics, stop using loaded language about “destruction” and “throwing into the sea” and face the consequences: either defend liberal democracy consistently or admit that one is willing to sacrifice it for ethnic nationalism.”
The shame of the Jewish establishment: Rep. Jan Schakowsky says she never used the word “occupation” before last year, while Jeremy Burton of a leading Boston Jewish organization brags of a policy of refusing to debate Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), even with other Jews. These people have their heads in the sand (or worse) and young Jews want none of it.
Israel’s propaganda machine, Hasbara Central, is forcing the ‘New York Times’ to revert to biased reporting of the Gaza demonstrations, as Times Jerusalem bureau chief leaps to amend a story.
As several liberal Democratic politicians finally object to Israel’s shooting of unarmed Palestinians at the Gaza fence, a report in al-Monitor suggests that Israel targeted Palestinian journalists last week because it was concerned by the international criticism of its actions.
Alan Dershowitz has become an advocate for Donald Trump on the airwaves at a time when the president has few legal chums. And Israel’s interests are close behind. Dersh is a conduit to Israeli PM Netanyahu, and the EPA set up a research agreement with an Israeli water company of which Dersh is a board member– at the prodding of Trump donor Sheldon Adelson.
The killing by an Israeli sniper of Palestinian journalist Yaser Murtaja on April 7 at the Gaza fence is drawing mounting international outrage. The New York Times editorialized sternly about Murtaja’s killing, the General Federation of Arab Journalists wants the case prosecuted at the International Criminal Court, and Michael Moore calls on documentary filmmakers around the world to speak out against the crime.
The Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister have painted slain Palestinian journalist Yaser Murtaja as a “terrorist,” but the amazing thing about this round of Israeli atrocities is that international press is ignoring the absurd claims. The Gaza killings are thus a landmark in Israel’s growing international isolation.
“Nobody wants a big war,” says Amb. Ryan Crocker, but the old foreign policy duopoly of neoconservatives and liberal interventionists certainly wants some kind of war with Iran in Syria. In tones reminiscent of the Iraq war runup, liberals call for bombing in the NYT op-ed page, while neocons call for joint operations with Israel that would bring “hellish consequences” to Syria’s Assad, as well as to Russia and Iran.