|
PMWATCH
- Feb 11, 2002 -- Is it a simple coincidence that one of
the most unsavory characters in the Israeli political landscape
is also the most outspoken and "savviest" defender
of the official Israeli line? Hardly: it takes a scoundrel and
a cheat of the most polished caliber -- someone who has no principles
and no respect for the truth or for those to whom he is trying
to peddle his crass falsehoods -- to perpetuate bald-faced lies
and to spread some of the most vile, most hateful propaganda
about Palestinians and their cause.
That "media
savvy" character is of course ex-Prime Minister Benjanim
Netanyahu, whose face can be seen regularly on American TV,
as he makes the media rounds, usually calling for unleashing
death and hellfire upon Palestinians, for destroying, killing,
and making sure that no sovereign Palestinian state sees the
light of day. And if you think this is an exaggeration, just
catch him next time he is on Hannity and Colmes at FoxNews.
This is
the same Netanyahu who was giddy as can be on September 12 about
what had happened on the 11th. Here is what the New York Time
reported:
Asked
tonight what the attack meant for relations between the United
States and Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister,
replied: "It's very good." Then he edited himself: "Well, not
very good, but it will generate immediate sympathy." [See full
article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/international/12ISRA.html
This is
also the same Netanyahu who was accused of taking $100,000 of
bribes in 1999, who sent an assassination squad deep into Jordan
in 1997 to kill Hamas leader Khaled Meshal (while at the same
time solemnly declaring his deep respect and friendeshp to King
Hussein), and who one year earlier, barely into his office,
had been caught up in the Bar-On scandal where it was revealed
he had appointed someone woefully underqualified to be Israel's
Attorney General as a favor to the political leader of the Orthodox
religious party Shas (with the expectation that the new attorney
general would be lenient on a pending case against the leader).
And yet,
this shady character is treated with respect and even awe by
the American media.
Below are
some articles that speak volumes about this man -- a man who
lies, deceives, cheats, steals, and lies again and again, without
skipping a beat. How he can be welcomed with open arms by the
American media, invited to give talks, and listened to, is beyond
comprehension. And not only that: next time he is on a discussion
pannel or interview with a Palestinian counterpart, compare
and contrast how he is treated and how the Palestinian is treated,
and see who is treated like a common criminal and who is treated
with respect.
Please share
these basic facts about Benjamin Netanyahu with the media and
shame them for giving any respect to someone who belongs behind
bars.
Articles
on Benjamin Netanyahu's scandals:
Netanyahu quizzed by police: Netanyahu is suspected of embezzling $100,000
BBC News
October 21, 1999
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_480000/480699.stm
Israel to probe assassination attempt in Jordan
CNN
October 6, 1997
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9710/06/israel.netanyahu/
Tale of Israel's Botched Hit in Jordan Unfolds
The Christian Science Monitor
October 3, 1997
http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1997/10/03/intl/intl.4.html
Netanyahu says he won't quit amid Israeli corruption scandal
CNNi
April 18, 1997
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9704/17/netanyahu/
Decision on Netanyahu prosecution due Sunday
CNNi
April 18, 1997
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9704/18/israel/
What did Bibi Know
March 10, 1997
Time Magazine
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1997/int/970310/middle.what_did_bibi.html
IN THE CLEAR?
PBS News Hour
MARCH 21, 1997
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/april97/israel_4-21.html
CAN BIBI SURVIVE?
Time Magazine
APRIL 28, 1997
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1997/dom/970428/world.can_bibi_surv.html
Bar-On affair sparking Ashkenazi-Sephardi tensions
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
May 2, 1997
http://www.jewishsf.com/bk970502/ibaron.htm
A MAJORITY OF ONE?
PBS News Hour
January 22, 1998
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/january98/netanyahu_1-22.html
|
