Israel Matzav

Shock and horror at Haaretz: Foreign Ministry highlighting 'Palestinian' incitement instead of promoting a 'Palestinian state'

Perhaps in no ministry has the contrast between this government and its predecessors been greater than in the foreign ministry. In Friday's edition, Haaretz's frustration with the foreign ministry boils over. They have done a hit piece on Palestinian Media Watch, the people who made Tomorrow's Pioneers nearly as well known in the West as Sesame Street, and who were brought to Congress by then Senator Hillary Clinton to testify on incitement to murder Jews in 'Palestinian' textbooks.

For the record, this story is classified as 'news' even though it reads like an opinion piece straight out of the Guardian or the Independent.

The reporters that came witnessed a surreal event, in which the official Foreign Ministry briefing room was turned over to a politically right-wing nongovernmental organization. Though it was Ayalon's office that invited the press, the briefing was conducted by a public relations agent for PMW rather than the Foreign Ministry.

PMW's activities are entirely legitimate, and some of its findings could clearly be categorized as disturbing evidence of anti-Israel incitement. Yet many of the journalists in attendance, who included many representatives of foreign media outlets, were not aware that PMW is led by a right-wing activist, and that many other such activists, from Israel and abroad, are involved in it.

Marcus, in addition to his position with PMW, is also vice president of the New York-based Central Fund of Israel, which provides financial support to a variety of right-wing organizations, such as Im Tirzu, as well as a range of activities in West Bank settlements.

I wonder how many press briefings at the foreign ministry during the days of Shimon Peres and Shlomo Ben Ami were delivered by organizations funded by the New Israel Fund or the Peres Center for Peace, both of which are up to their eyeballs in funding from European governments.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon (Yisrael Beiteinu ) told Haaretz he saw no problem in convening a joint press conference with Palestinian Media Watch. He said the organization had submitted its report to the Foreign Ministry in the same way that social service organizations submit reports to the president.

"But I am in favor of full disclosure, and we are not automatically adopting the report," he said, adding that the report will be studied, and only then will the ministry take a position.

Nevertheless, he continued, the issue of Palestinian incitement is crucial.

"We will cooperate with any organization that discloses facts, regardless of its political affiliation," he said. "We believe in the government joining hands with nongovernmental organizations."

Well why shouldn't the foreign ministry work with NGO's to point out to the world that the 'Palestinians' continue to incite against the existence of a Jewish state? Haaretz doesn't answer that question, but they do eventually get around to their real beef:

This bizarre press conference was just a symptom of a trend that has emerged in the Foreign Ministry over the last year: After Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman declared that he does not want his ministry to be the Ministry for Palestinian Affairs, he distanced Israeli diplomats from almost all activity related to the peace process. Instead, this is being handled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's advisors and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

The Foreign Ministry, with Netanyahu's enthusiastic support, has instead assumed a new role: conducting an aggressive campaign against the Palestinian Authority over alleged incitement against Israel.

But Lieberman, Ayalon and other senior Foreign Ministry officials characterize almost any PA act that is not to their liking as incitement. Thus the ministry lambastes not only Palestinian streets named after terrorists and hate-filled television broadcasts, but also the PA's decision to boycott products made in West Bank settlements and Palestinian efforts to have Israel condemned by the United Nations.

"It's all part of one Palestinian strategy regarding the delegitimization of Israel," Ayalon said.

What a shanda! Bureaucrat Nadav Tamir - elected by no one, but representing Israel's hard left - isn't being allowed to handle the 'peace process.' Instead it's being handled by people who won democratic elections who are pursuing an integrated strategy to win the PR war against the 'Palestinians' instead of acting as if they're the 'Palestinian' foreign ministry. And Haaretz can't stand it. Well, that's what happens when Haaretz's constituency (Meretz voters) win 2.5% of the vote. May it only continue!

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:55 PM