Cone of Silence Envelopes Media & Politicians

January 10, 2013 by Michael Kuttner
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As reported by the Director of the Israel Resource News Agency, David Bedein, the much vaunted “moderate” and erstwhile “peace partner”, Mahmoud Abbas, gave a very important speech via video link a week ago…writes Michael Kuttner.

Michael Kuttner

Michael Kuttner

He was addressing the adoring masses in Gaza who had gathered to celebrate the founding of Fatah otherwise known as the Palestine Liberation Organisation. The venue is significant because Gaza is ruled by Hamas which is dedicated to the murder of Jews and elimination of the Jewish State. The so called “moderate” Fatah which is the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority, currently masquerading as the fictitious State of Palestine, plans to unite with Hamas at which time no doubt the United Nations will declare that this new unified group is a peace partner and one to which Israel must talk and make suitable gestures.

What did Abbas include in his message of solidarity that deserves media attention? As reported, he spoke glowingly of the legacy of the infamous Mufti of Jerusalem who during the 1930’s instigated pogroms against the Jews of Palestine and who during his residence in Nazi Germany actively plotted a Final Solution to be carried out once his German friends had conquered the Allied armies. The “moderate” Abbas praised the Mufti as a great man whose ways should be emulated by all Palestinian Arabs. This amazing piece of advice which was part of a tribute to Fatah seems to have vanished from the media. Apart from The Israel Resource News Agency and Arutz Sheva which picked it up, this paean  of praise for an unrepentant Nazi supporter, has been ignored by not only the media but also by Israeli & Jewish leaders.

David Bedein has asked President Shimon Peres for a comment. In view of the fact that Mr. Peres is on record as stating that Abbas is a genuine partner for peace, one would have expected a response which expressed horror and revulsion. Instead a cone of silence has descended over the Presidential residence and nary has a peep been heard. Likewise there have been no expressions of outrage from any other Israeli leader or politician of note. The Minister for Strategic Affairs thanked David for the information and so far that is as far as it has gone. Where is the outrage?  Does this not call for a serious challenging of the international community’s embrace of the leader of the Palestinian Authority?

Where is the media in all this? Strangely silent it seems. Given the track record of many of them is it a case of sweeping inconvenient facts under the carpet lest it disturbs the prevailing political correctness which has been successfully peddled by those who see Israel guilty of all crimes and the Palestinian Arabs as angelic harbingers of peace?  The delusionary mirage of a moderate Palestinian Arab leadership promoted by Mr. Peres and fellow dreamers of a new Middle East is surely shattered by this praise of Amin All-Husseini, a symbol of the unending hate towards Jews and the Jewish State. The problem of course is that there are those who despite the murder and maiming of thousands of Israelis since the failed Oslo Accords, still hallucinate that all we have to do is shrink back to the legally non existent borders of 1948 & 1967, divide Jerusalem and reward those who murder Jews in Israel, in order for brotherly love and genuine peace to miraculously arrive.

As long as there are politicians taking their lead from Mr. Peres there will always be a willing media ready to bury the inconvenient facts of continued incitement against us by the UN approved moderate Mr. Abbas and his friends. It is up to all those who are disgusted with this cone of silence to make their voices heard, in the media and by challenging Jewish leaders to speak out. Silence is not an option these days, especially given our experiences in the recent past.

Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and works for The Israel Resource News Agency in Jerusalem.

Comments

4 Responses to “Cone of Silence Envelopes Media & Politicians”
  1. Robert says:

    MEMRI and PMW regularly publish what is said in Arabic,proving there is no desire for peace under any circumstances and the world chooses ignore it, yet we are accused of controlling the world media.
    “New book highlights PA denial of Israel’s right to exist
    by Jordana Horn
    ‘Deception: Betraying the Peace Process,’ contends, the PA promoted messages of hate in order to undermine the peace process with Israel.
    NEW YORK – Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel and Advancing Human Rights founder Bob Bernstein spoke at an event on Tuesday to herald the publication of a book exposing one year of media in the Palestinian Authority – nearly all of which demonizes Israel while denying its right to exist.
    Deception: Betraying the Peace Process, by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik, analyzes a year’s worth of cultural, education and general media resources in which, the book contends, the PA promoted messages of hate in order to undermine the peace process with Israel.
    Marcus and Zilberdik began their in-depth review of PA-approved media in May 2010, to determine how the PA responded to its commitments as put forth by the Quartet: to espouse nonviolence, to recognize the Jewish State of Israel, and to accept it as a partner for peace.
    After examining a wide swath of magazines and cultural materials for a full year, the overwhelming conclusion was that messages put out directly or indirectly by the PA reflected “a total abrogation of commitments to their own people,” Marcus said.
    The book details hundreds of examples of cultural, educational and media sources that promote messages of hate among Palestinians and undermine the peace process with Israel. The book catalogues and contextualizes the PA’s numerous policies of glorifying terrorism, demonizing Israelis and Jews and rejecting Israel’s right to exist.
    Even in mundane contexts such as sports pages, Marcus said, a story about a game refers to Israel not as Israel, but as “the homeland that is occupied.” That is, it is important to note, the entirety of Israel, not just the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
    Frequently, Marcus pointed out, all Israeli cities and cites are referred to as Palestinian, whether in print or on television, including in educational programs designed for children.
    Marcus said the book’s findings differentiate between those who deny Israel’s existence and those who deny its right to exist entirely, as manifested by the abrogation of referring to Haifa, Tiberias and Jaffa, for instance, as “Palestinian cities.”
    “There’s a denial by the Western press that this is happening,” Bernstein said. “They don’t read Arabic.”
    Equally troubling, Marcus said, is the repeated demonization of Israel, likening Israelis to Nazis and alleging that Israel poisoned Arafat. The demonization also occurs when suicide bombers are glorified, having stadiums, tournaments and town squares named after them.
    “Government-sponsored hate speech is incompatible with peace,” Bernstein said.
    “Unless the PA stops presenting terrorists as role models, and Jews and Israelis as inherently evil, and unless they stop educating their people to imagine a world without Israel, there is no chance of achieving authentic peace,” Zilberdik said in a statement.
    Marcus hopes to get his book into the hands of all members of the US Congress as well as of European parliaments, to let the legislators know what their financial aid to Palestinians is paying for.
    “The hope is that getting proper information out is a first step toward change,” Marcus said.
    [Jerusalem Post, Dec. 7, 2011]”

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  2. Ben Eleijah says:

    The mufti was a british appointee and the Zionists collaborated with the British in brutally suppressing the palestinian freedom struggle – through Windgate’s trained terror squads. And as for the mufti’s collaboration with Nazis, the Zionists broke the Jewish boycott of Nazi germant through the Anglo-Palestine Bank and imported nazi german goods to Palestine. Fieval Polkes and Rudolph kastner collaborated with Eichmann who visited palestine as a guest of the Zionists. He was expelled to cairo where he negotiated with the Zionists.

    • Robert says:

      The Mufti was an influential Arab notable and a Hitler confidant who raised Muslim troops for the Muslim SS and who encouraged the Holocaust.
      The British placated the Arabs in Palestine by severely limiting Jewish entry at a time when the Jews in Europe faced mortal danger.
      Any collaboration between the Yishuv and Nazi Germany (to get Jews out of Europe to safety) halted when the war started and the members of the Yishuv fought on the allies side NOT against them as opposed to the SS divisions of the Mufti.
      Terror against the Jews in Palestine,including pogroms, occurred long before the Jews were able to defend themselves,eventually they did get organised and Ord Wingate helped train the Jews to defend themselves.
      Shame your historical” knowledge” does not extend to the documented pogroms Hebron or Safed .
      Arab murders of Jews were ongoing long before any of the current excuses their fellow travellers like to trot out.
      Only Pappe would have the hide to publicly lie about the Mufti being in Germany.

  3. Shirlee says:

    You are in dreamland if you think our dhimmi so-called ‘leaders’ will speak up about anything. Why even at the Solidarity with Israel rally they managed to hide a third of the people in the synagogue on the pretext there was a security alert.

    Security alert that was a joke. If if was such a huge alert that warranted hiding people away, how come there were only about 6 police on hand?

    Not one has made a commented either to the letter I had published?

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