The National Union of Journalists in Britain has this week removed any doubt we might have had about the integrity of their profession and its capacity to deliver truthful reporting of news to its readership with a vote to boycott Israel.
Throwing the full book of accusations at Israel the British journalists' annual delegates meeting not only called for a boycott and sanctions but showed gross ignorance of the facts on the ground by condemning what they described as last year's "savage, pre-planned attack on Lebanon by Israel" (never mind that Hizbullah captured, killed and kidnapped Israeli soldiers and fired missiles at Israeli towns beforehand) the "slaughter of civilians by Israeli troops in Gaza and the IDF’s continued attacks inside Lebanon following the defeat of its army by Hezbollah" (they sound more like a bunch of juvenile and demented cheerleaders than serious writers to me) and called for the end of Israeli aggression in Gaza and other occupied territories.
The absurdity of these allegations is enough to tell us how little the journalists who put forward the motion and the 66 who voted in favour really know what is happening in the Middle East and it follows that their writing simply cannot be trusted.
Let us not forget that it was the British media that told the "Jenin massacre" lie and has been in the business of distorting the news from this region since Yasser Arafat launched his war on Israel in 2000. As I said in my introduction, this motion has simply put beyond doubt what we already knew about them and the very partisan agenda they have in relation to this conflict.
The only slaughter of Palestinians that is taking place at the moment is self-inflicted – at the time of writing 174 Palestinians have been killed this year by fellow Palestinians in warfare between various armed factions and clans, most of it in Gaza where Israel ended its occupation almost two years ago.
The delegates who voted in favour of these motions have brought dishnour on themselves and are no doubt being sneered at by the kidnappers of the only British journalist who had the guts to continue living in Gaza - BBC correspondent Alan Johnston. His kidnappers are among the very terrorists who these British journalists are defending and supporting with their shameful motions.
So let them carry out their pitiful and useless boycott of Israeli goods. Let them switch off their mobile phones, turn off their computers, stop taking their medication and their acne creams (all invented or perfected by Israeli ingenuity). Let them dim their light globes and walk around in darkness because the events of the past few weeks have proven once and for all that the sun has well and truly set on their empire.
Throwing the full book of accusations at Israel the British journalists' annual delegates meeting not only called for a boycott and sanctions but showed gross ignorance of the facts on the ground by condemning what they described as last year's "savage, pre-planned attack on Lebanon by Israel" (never mind that Hizbullah captured, killed and kidnapped Israeli soldiers and fired missiles at Israeli towns beforehand) the "slaughter of civilians by Israeli troops in Gaza and the IDF’s continued attacks inside Lebanon following the defeat of its army by Hezbollah" (they sound more like a bunch of juvenile and demented cheerleaders than serious writers to me) and called for the end of Israeli aggression in Gaza and other occupied territories.
The absurdity of these allegations is enough to tell us how little the journalists who put forward the motion and the 66 who voted in favour really know what is happening in the Middle East and it follows that their writing simply cannot be trusted.
Let us not forget that it was the British media that told the "Jenin massacre" lie and has been in the business of distorting the news from this region since Yasser Arafat launched his war on Israel in 2000. As I said in my introduction, this motion has simply put beyond doubt what we already knew about them and the very partisan agenda they have in relation to this conflict.
The only slaughter of Palestinians that is taking place at the moment is self-inflicted – at the time of writing 174 Palestinians have been killed this year by fellow Palestinians in warfare between various armed factions and clans, most of it in Gaza where Israel ended its occupation almost two years ago.
The delegates who voted in favour of these motions have brought dishnour on themselves and are no doubt being sneered at by the kidnappers of the only British journalist who had the guts to continue living in Gaza - BBC correspondent Alan Johnston. His kidnappers are among the very terrorists who these British journalists are defending and supporting with their shameful motions.
So let them carry out their pitiful and useless boycott of Israeli goods. Let them switch off their mobile phones, turn off their computers, stop taking their medication and their acne creams (all invented or perfected by Israeli ingenuity). Let them dim their light globes and walk around in darkness because the events of the past few weeks have proven once and for all that the sun has well and truly set on their empire.
7 comments:
How would these pissant journos react to the news about the Hamas statement in support of capturing Israeli soldiers in order to use them as bargaining chips in negotiating the release of Palestinian prisoners?
That's behaviour worthy of support from these sickos?http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/849024.html
The elected head of a government advocating the kidnapping of a neighbour's soldiers.
Not exactly the way to bring about an end to an occupation is it (assuming that Hamas gives a rats about ending the occupation anyway)?
ADL slams British journalist group for call to boycott Israel http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/849460.html
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) slammed the British National Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Tuesday, after the British group passed a resolution that called for a boycott of Israeli products. The ADL condemned the measure and called it "highly politicized and blatantly biased."
In a letter to NUJ Secretary General Jeremy Dear, the ADL wrote that the resolution "violates the basic tenet of journalism - objectivity" and contradicts the union's own code of conduct, which calls for journalists to "eliminate distortion" and to ensure that "the information he/she disseminates is fair and accurate."
ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman and ADL National Chair Glen S. Lewy said in a statement that "it is shocking that a group representing journalists could approve such a highly politicized and blatantly biased statement, which is at odds with their profession's mandate to remain objective and unbiased observers."
Lewy and Foxman also slammed the NUJ resolution, maintaining it "shockingly disregards key facts of the complex Arab-Israeli conflict, including Hezbollah's aggression against Israeli in July 2006 and its seizure of Israeli soldiers from sovereign Israeli territory."
The Pommie journalists have even more problems waking up today to the news of how their cricket team performed at the World Cup.
I wonder what's at a lower ebb at the moment -
1. The standing of the Royal Marines,
2. The credibility of their journalists or
3. The reputation and standard of their cricket.
Actuall I don't wonder at all.
In fact, I don't care.
... said journalists are British right?
... according to Lancet, Britain and its allies started a war that killed 650,000 irakis, right?
... why are they picking on the jews?
The thing that I don't get is how the Jews, who we all know control the world's media, allow this to happen?
Why Boycott Israel? by Richard Cohen [Washington Post - 24 April 24, 2007]
In Iran, the government overturned the convictions of six men who, among other things, killed a young couple because they were walking together in public. In China, local authorities seized about 60 women and forcibly aborted their pregnancies. In Russia, the Putin government expanded its control of the media. In Cuba ... oh, well, you already know. But what you may not know is that given such a vast palette of injustice and depredations, the British National Union of Journalists made a truly original move: It singled out Israel to boycott.
The boycott, mind you, is not a journalistic one. Instead, it will extend to lemons and melons and that sort of thing. The boycott was issued as "a gesture of support for the Palestinian people," some of whom, as it happens, abducted a BBC correspondent, Alan Johnston. One group has claimed that it executed him, although no proof has been offered. Suffice it to say the situation is dire.
What possessed the journalist union's board - in a vote of 66 to 54 - to take such action? The question is worth posing because it followed a similar vote last year by British academics (later rescinded) to avoid, under pain of death or something, their Israeli colleagues. And, more important, it is yet another bleat, in Europe and in this country, from people and organizations that, for good reasons and bad, have simply had it with Israel. Why won't the pushy Jewish state shape up?
In some sense, it is a fair enough question. The wrongful and counterproductive occupation of the West Bank is now in its 40th year. Settlements continue to go up, and the government of Ehud Olmert, weak and hapless, is unable or unwilling to contain them. The government proved its incompetence in the Lebanon war of the summer past, managing to enhance Hezbollah's standing and not managing to retrieve the two captured soldiers in whose name the war was launched in the first place. For Israel - but really for Lebanese civilians most of all - the war was a disaster.
But Sudan kills by the score in Darfur and Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe beats his opponents to a pulp, and in almost all of the Arab world there is no such thing as freedom of the press. In Israel there not only is, but the press is as rambunctious as can be found anywhere.
The British journalists say they are moved by the plight of the Palestinian people, and they are right to be. But the misery of a Gazan or a West Banker is not solely Israel's doing. The government of Gaza is the political arm of a terrorist organization, and if the West Bank is suffering - and it is - the cause is not only Israeli land lust but also a morbid Israeli fear of terrorism. British journalists would no doubt approve similar measures if London's city buses had not once but repeatedly been blown to smithereens by passengers with the exact fare and belts of explosives.
So what explains this fury at Israel - and only at Israel? What explains this need to denounce, to boycott? Some of it surely comes from the uncritical support that Israel gets from the United States, which to lefties all over the world is a vile state, maybe worthy - if it were not for jeans, movies and hip-hop - of a boycott itself.
Some of it no doubt reflects frustration from the efforts of Jewish organizations to suffocate any criticism of Israel and to hurl the epithet "anti-Semite" at anyone with an odd bent to his thinking. But some of it, surely, is anti-Semitism itself, a rage at the impudent, pushy Jew and this state created in the midst of the Arab world. Forgotten, conveniently and appallingly, is history itself and the reason for Israel's creation. This does not excuse injustice to Palestinians, it merely explains. But it is an explanation so soaked with the blood of Jews as to seem utterly concocted: It cannot be! But it was.
The British journalists, like the academics before them, dare to tread where an army of goons has gone before. If they do not recognize the ember of anti-Semitism still glowing within them, they ought to park themselves before a mirror and ask why, of all the nations, they single out Israel for reprimand and obloquy. This business of assigning to Jews a special burden, for seeing in them more of mankind's bad qualities and less of its good, has a dark and ugly pedigree: the Chosen People, again - and again in the wrong way.
SUBJECT: IF YOU'RE GOING TO BOYCOTT ISRAEL - DO IT PROPERLY!
OK. So I understand that you are ticked off at Israel , and in love with the Palestinians. That's fine with me, as long as you have truly weighed all the facts.
So, you want to boycott Israel?
I'll be sorry to miss you, but if you are doing it - do it properly.
Let me help you.
Check all your medications. Make sure that you do not have tablets, drops lotions, etc., made by Abic or Teva. It may mean that you will suffer from colds and flu this winter but, hey, that's a small price for you to pay in your campaign against Israel , isn't it?
While we are on the subject of your Israeli boycott, and the medical contributions to the world made by Israeli doctors and scientists, how about telling your pals to boycott the following...
An Israeli company has developed a simple blood test that distinguishes between mild and more severe cases of Multiple Sclerosis. So, if you know anyone suffering from MS, tell them to ignore the Israeli patent that may, more accurately, diagnose their symptoms.
An Israeli-made device helps restore the use of paralyzed hands. This device electrically stimulates the hand muscles, providing hope to millions of stroke sufferers and victims of spinal injuries. If you wish to remove this hope of a better quality of life to these people, go ahead and boycott Israel .
Young children with breathing problems will soon be sleeping more soundly, thanks to a new Israeli device called the Child Hood. This innovation replaces the inhalation mask with an improved drug delivery system that provides relief for child and parent. Please tell anxious mothers that they shouldn't use this device because of your passionate cause.
These are just a few examples of how people have benefited medically from the Israeli know-how you wish to block. Boycotts often affect research.
A new research center in Israel hopes to throw light on brain disorders such as depression and Alzheimer's disease.
The Joseph Sangol Neuroscience Center in the Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer Hospital , aims to bring thousands of scientists and doctors to focus on brain research.
A researcher at Israel's Ben Gurion University has succeeded in creating human monoclonal antibodies which can neutralize the highly contagious smallpox virus without inducing the dangerous side effects of the existing vaccine.
Two Israelis received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Doctors Ciechanover and Hershko's research and discovery of one of the human cells most important cyclical processes will lead the way to DNA repair, control of newly produced proteins, and immune defense systems.
The Movement Disorder Surgery program at Israel 's Hadassah Medical Center has successfully eliminated the physical manifestations of Parkinson's disease in a select group of patients with a deep brain stimulation technique.
For women who undergo hysterectomies each year for the treatment of uterine fibroids, the development in Israel of the Ex Ablate 2000 System is a welcome breakthrough, offering a noninvasive alternative to surgery.
Israel is developing a nose drop that will provide a five year flu vaccine.
These are just a few of the projects that you can help stop with your Israeli boycott. But let's not get too obsessed with my ducal research, there are other ways you can make a personal sacrifice with your anti-Israel boycott.
Most of Windows operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel. So, set a personal example. Throw away your computer!
Computers should have a sign attached saying Israel Inside. The Pentium NMX Chip technology was designed at Intel in Israel . Both the Pentium 4 microprocessor and the Centrum processor were entirely designed, developed, and produced in Israel.
Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 in Israel by four young Israeli whiz kids.
Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R. & D. facilities outside the US in Israel.
So, due to your complete boycott of anything Israeli, you can now have poor health and no computer.
But your bad news does not end there. Get rid of your cellular phone. Cell phone technology was also developed in Israel by MOTOROLA which has its biggest development center in Israel . Most of the latest technology in your mobile phone was developed by Israeli scientists.
Feeling unsettled? You should be. Part of your personal security rests with Israeli inventiveness, borne out of our urgent necessity to protect and defend our lives from the terrorists you support.
A phone can remotely activate a bomb, or be used for tactical communications by terrorists, bank robbers, or hostage-takers. It is vital that official security and law enforcement authorities have access to cellular jamming and detection solutions.
Enter Israel 's Net line Communications Technologies with their security expertise to help the fight against terror.
SO ALL THE NOISE ABOUT THE USA LISTENING TO OUR PRIVATE TELEPHONE CALLS, YOU SHOULD KNOW IT IS ISRAEL WHO IS DOING THE LISTENING FOR US.
A joint, nonprofit, venture between Israel and Maryland will result in a 5 day Business Development and Planning Conference next March. Elected Israeli companies will partner with Maryland firms to provide innovation to the US need for homeland security.
I also want you to know that Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
Israel produces more scientific papers per capita - 109 per 10,000 - than any other nation.
Israel has the highest number of startup companies per rata. In absolute terms, the highest number, except the US . Israel has a ratio of patents filed.
Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies outside of Silicon Valley . Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds, behind the USA .
Israel has more museums per capita.
Israel has the second highest publication of new books per capita.
Relative to population, Israel is the largest immigrant absorbing nation on earth.
These immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom or expression, economic opportunity, and quality of life.
Believe it or not, Israel is the only country in the world which had a net gain in the number of trees last year.
Even Warren Buffet of Berkshire-Hathaway fame has just invested millions with Israeli Companies.
So, you can vilify and demonize the State of Israel . You can continue your silly boycott, if you wish. But I wish you would consider the consequences, and the truth.
Think of the massive contribution that Israel is giving to the world, including the Palestinians - and to you - in science, medicine, communications, security.
Pro rata for population, Israel is making a greater contribution than any other nation on earth.
PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, WHETHER PRO-ISRAEL OR NOT!
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