Dear Advocates,
Honest Reporting has released its “Dishonest Reporter Award 2007”, singling out the worst reports of the year in different categories. Christiane Amanpour of CNN took out the top honour this year, “for her in-depth, but tragically flawed CNN special series, God’s Warriors”. Charles Enderline (of the al-Dura controversy) received an award for Worst Film Editor, but perhaps what will most interest the Australian Jewish community is that our very own Ed O’Loughlin made the Honour Role this year for “Worst Moral Equivalence”. He received the award for his 5 September 2007 report entitled ‘Missiles prompt threat to cut supplies’ where he stated:
Since peace talks were abandoned in 2000, 12 Israelis, including three minors, have been killed by Palestinian missiles in a deadly game of tit for tat across the border between Israel and Gaza.
Hundreds of Palestinian civilians and militants, including five children in the past fortnight, have been killed by artillery, tank and air strikes, which Israel says targets only terrorists.
For a deeper understanding of the rocket situation in Gaza, read the report entitled “Rocket Threat from the Gaza Strip 2000-2007”, which was put out by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Centre.
On the topic of monitoring the media, I have come across two very interesting article regarding two other media monitoring organisations – Palestinian Media Watch and Memri –
that talk about the way in which the Arab media is now monitoring the monitor. Please read ‘The Arab media is now monitoring PMW’ and ‘Saudi Academic: Muslim Organisations, Leaders Must Condemn Terrorism – Our Enemies Are Translating Statements of Each and Every [Islamic] Scholar, Imam, and Charity Spokesman’ for more information.
On Monday eighty-seven countries and international organisations pledged $7.4 billion in aid to the Palestinians, at the Conference of Donors for a Palestinian State. The Australian
published an article on the issue entitled ‘Donors to meet on Palestinian aid plan’, where Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was quoted as saying “the creation of a Palestinian state and the modernisation of the Palestinian economy are in the interests of Israel, just as stopping terrorism is in the interests of the Palestinians”.
The New York Times published an article on 18 December entitled ‘$7.4 Billion Pledge for Palestinians’ where they present a caution from the World Bank that ‘despite the aid pledges, the Palestinian economy will continue to contract unless Israel eases its blockage of the Gaza Strip’. It is with statements such as these, which ignore the very real security threat that Israel faces daily from the Gaza Strip, that Livni’s statement truly resonates.
I would like to end with a positive advocacy story from the Age today entitled ‘Israeli boffins put bible on microchip’, about Israeli scientists from Technion creating the world’s smallest Bible, “fitting a Hebrew-language version of the holy book on a gold-coated silicon chip smaller than a pinhead”. It is always nice to read stories about Israel in our local newspapers which highlight all of the wonderful attributes that Israel has to offer!
The offices of the State Zionist Council of Victoria will be closed from Friday 21 December 2007 and will reopen on Monday 7 January 2008.
Happy New Year,
Emily Chrapot
Research Officer
State Zionist Council of Victoria
9272 5507
www.szcvic.org
www.szcsolidarityrally.blogspot.com