Israel Matzav

Haaretz making up stories?

JTA reports (via JPost) that Haaretz has made up three stories in the past few months implying tensions in the US - Israel relationship that just might not be there. The three stories in question are: President Obama telling 'Jewish leaders' that Israel needs to engage in 'serious self-reflection'; Netanyahu calling Obama advisers Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod 'self-hating Jews'; and the Obama administration 'summoning' Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States over Israeli construction in Jerusalem.

In all three instances, the principles involved denied that the incidents ever took place.

Curiously, JTA attributes the false stories to 'conservative members of the Israeli government' who may be critical of Netanyahu.

Some conservative members of the Israeli government may be trying to manipulate the tension that has arisen over the settlements by leaking stories to portray a more dire situation, observed Yoram Peri, director of the Gildenhorn Center for Israeli Studies at the University of Maryland and an expert on Israeli politics and media.

Peri cautioned that one must separate public rhetoric from real diplomatic process, which happens mostly behind closed doors.

Given that Haaretz is known for good reason as 'Israel's Hebrew Palestinian daily,' and given that shrill claims that Netanyahu is 'ruining' Israel's relationship with the United States have become daily fare from the opposition and its leadership, I would say it's far more likely that these stories are sourced on Israel's political left rather than on its right.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:14 PM