Israel Matzav

There's a sucker born every minute

A Greek telethon to benefit a 'destroyed' Christian hospital in Gaza, in which Greece's President and foreign minister participated, turns out to have 'benefited' a hospital that never existed.

For nearly a week in February, Greece’s official state television network inundated viewers with news about a telethon that would take place Feb. 9 to raise money to “rebuild the Christian hospital in Gaza that Israelis destroyed with their bombs” during the Israeli army's operation there in January.

In its announcements, the network made clear that it was referring to a specific Christian hospital destroyed by Israel.

The telethon included recorded video messages by Greek President Carolos Papoulias and Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyianni, along with a parade of Greek politicians, singers, public personalities and trade unionists. Many used the telethon to cast broadsides at Israel.

The campaign raised $1.67 million, according to telethon organizers, who said little Greek children had gone so far as to break their piggy banks to offer $14 to Palestinians in need.

A JTA investigation revealed, however, that no Christian hospital was on the list assembled by the United Nations and the Red Crescent Society of structures in Gaza damaged and destroyed as a consequence of the Israel-Hamas war in January.

JTA spoke to two Palestinians living in Gaza who are active in or former members of nongovernmental organizations there, both of whom looked into the issue independently. Both reported that the only Christian hospital in Gaza, Al Ahli, was used during the war and did not receive a scratch. Al Ahli is financed by the Church of England.

Outside the city there is also small medical center supported in part by the Near East Council of Churches that was destroyed during the war.

One of the Palestinians demanded to know where the money from the Greek telethon went.

Asked who decided that the telethon money should go to a hospital that turned out to be fictitious, the president of ERT/NET, the TV station that broadcast the program, Vangelis Panagopoulos, told JTA that “ERT does not organize these things but simply provides the time slot. The event was organized by the General Confederation of Greek Workers” -- Greece’s main trade union organization -- “and the Foreign Ministry.”

Reached by JTA, a spokesman for the General Confederation of Greek Workers said, “Ask the Greek Foreign Ministry and [Foreign Minister] Bakoyianni -- they know.”

The money is looking for a new project in Gaza, but of course it's Israel that got bashed as usual.

One thing is certain: In a six-hour telethon loaded with Israel bashing, the Greek public was deceived that money contributed would go to rebuild a Christian hospital destroyed by the army of the Jewish state.

What remains unclear is whether organizers deliberately perpetrated the fraud or the telethon had fallen into the deception by accident.

Maybe they should refund the money.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:54 AM