If you listen to Slate’s Political Gabfest podcast of 19 January, in which two contributors report from Israel where they’ve been on a AIPAC-funded press junket, you’d think they were a PR firm for the pro-Israel lobby. While they talk a lot about Israeli concerns about Iran and other matters, one word is completely absent from their report: occupation. They also recuperate most of the AIPAC-sanctioned vocabulary about Israeli issues, and when they address the fact that their trip has been paid for by AIPAC, they say it was balanced because they got to talk to a Labor MP.
Unfortunately, while this just may be gross bias, I suspect it’s something worse: lack of professional integrity and laziness.
I’d call you out on fetishizing the Palestianian people, but obviously I am too busy reading FrontPageMag and thinking of ways to continue the occupation. Mubarak must love Israel for stealing the attention of people who would otherwise be protesting against him.
I agree, Issandr. I always enjoy Slate, but Emily Bazelon and David Plotz seem to have crossed an importantred line.
I reported in http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2005/09/30/national-jewish-democratic-council-why-theyre-all-wrong-in-their-approach-to-israeli-palestinian-conflict/“ rel=”nofollow”>my blog on a Howard Dean led Israel tour sponsored by the Amer. Jew. Committee for nat’l Dem. leaders. These tours are out & out propaganda. The slant is heavily ideological whether or not participants recognize this or not. Netanyahu, Sharansky & their ilk are the guests of choice to speak to these groups. They might throw in Shimon Peres as a token “leftist” (in their mind, not mine) & say they’ve balanced everything out nicely.
No doubt Slate participants heard about how Israel cannot talk with Syria, cannot return the Golan, must never talk to Hamas, & must end the Iranian nuclear threat even by military means if necessary.
Do you think they heard fr. any Israeli peace NGOs like Peace Now? Do you think they met with any Palestinians or Israeli Arabs? Do you think they met with any Israeli poor people or, even if they didn’t, leanred anything about issues like poverty?
These tours are pernicious and no serious journalist should go on one. I’m sure that journalists should be able to organize professional groups to accomplish the same task by using less ideological host organizations.
There is something else to note: Palestinians could never be allowed to invite US lawmakers, give them helicopter tours of the Occupied Territories, etc. The Israelis would not allow it. And even if people came for a more discreet tour they would probably face the hours-long interrogation you often get by Israeli security. A friend of mine (European journalist) recently spent eight hours being interrogated and strip-searched. She had recently done a report the Israelis did not like. This is the reason I refuse to go to Israel — no way I am subjecting myself to that unless I absolutely have to. I hate even waiting in line at airports.
I am attaching this link in the hopes that reading this (related) article from the Weekly Standard will make Issandr’s head explode:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/207gfkyn.asp