That old expression the more things change the more they stay the same? When it comes to the media and antisemitism, nothing has changed. From the media in Germany, to the media in the west during the Holocaust, and now 74 years later, the media continues to enable the rise of the oldest evil in the world; Jew hatred. Sins of omission of facts and sins of commission;lies.

J’accuse Main Stream media for enabling Jew hatred in the 21st century.

In Germany in universities in the 1880’s the cry was heard, “The Jews are our misfortune.” By the turn pf the 20th century there were as many as 700 anti-Semitic periodicals. Anti-Semitic rhetoric began to lead to attacks against Jews.

During WWII it was known that the Jews were being murdered for the crime of being Jewish. The stories were relegated to the middle of the paper, a small column or two. Deborah Lipstadt argued in her book Beyond Belief that from 1933 to 1945, the American press failed to treat the destruction of European Jews as urgent news. When newspapers did report on the horrors being perpetrated, they adopted a skeptical posture, burying small stories with ambiguous headlines on inside pages. Lipstadt documented how the demand for objectivity, the cynicism or gullibility of reporters, the incredulity of editors, and an atmosphere of isolationism helped to shape the news – and influenced policymakers who might have saved countless lives.

And here we are. Repeating the history.

Outlets, today, share stories that deligitimize the state of Israel. They share articles about the apartheid wall. The oppression of the Palestinians by Israel.  BDS. Without a fact to support the statements.

Credentialed opinion writers affiliated with all kinds of universities and think tanks share their antisemitism by associating Israel with countries like Iran, Russia, and North Korea. These attacks on Israel are insidious.

The Globe and Mail published an article October 2018 by Doug Saunders. “Trump administration strictly refuses to utter any criticism of illegal actions or abuses by Russia, North Korea, the Philippines, Israel, Egypt or Saudi Arabia means that these regimes know they can mete out punishments across international borders that would have turned them into pariah states in earlier eras.”

Tom Fletcher just shared his views in the Globe and Mail. “You can’t press pause on the world’s crises or ignore the decade’s next flashpoints in the Middle East or the Korean Peninsula. And the countries with the most to gain from Mr. Trump’s erratic approach – I’m being diplomatic – will press their advantages in the early 2020s, particularly Russia, Israel, North Korea and Saudi Arabia.

What kind of mind would write this?

I contacted the Globe and Mail in Canada about another article, this time from AP wire service about the “famous” artist Bansky, and his latest art endeavour, the Scar in the Wall. Bansky is a known antisemite. The media gush over him.  Just look at the articles about him. He said himself that the wall “essentially turns Palestine into the world’s largest open prison.”

He has a hotel by the “wall” in Bethlehem filled with is artwork about the “oppressed Palestinians.” In truth, they are oppressed. Terribly. By their leadership. But don’t let that detail get in the way of the anti-Jewish narrative.

These media outlets aren’t interested in the facts. Antisemitism sells.

The article about which I complained to the Public Editor of the Globe and Mail was  “Banksy takes politically charged nativity scene to Bethlehem” written by Mohammed Daraghmeh, Bethlehem, Palestinian Territory, The Associated Press. December 22 2019. The article was shared around the world, including other outlets in Canada.

From the article:

“The artwork, named Scar of Bethlehem, depicts the birth of Jesus under Israel’s West Bank separation barrier with a bullet hole shaped like a star. The piece is displayed at the Walled Off Hotel, a Palestinian guest house in Bethlehem that was designed by Banksy and is filled with his artwork. Israel built the barrier in the early 2000s in what it said was a move to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers in the West Bank from reaching Israel. The Palestinians consider the barrier illegal and call it an Israeli land grab, noting that it has engulfed large chunks of the West Bank onto the Israeli “side.”

I asked the public editor about the statement “Israel built the barrier in the early 2000s in what it said was a move to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers in the West Bank from reaching Israel. The Palestinians consider the barrier illegal and call it an Israeli land grab, noting that it has engulfed large chunks of the West Bank onto the Israeli ‘side.’”

I pointed out that the article about Bansky is missing facts. The omission of these facts gives a false narrative about Israel and Bethlehem. And no doubt it is politically charged.

I informed her the people in Bethlehem are not suffering because of the wall. They are suffering under the PA. Blaming the Jews is the usual go-to story. Have we not learned anything at all about antisemitism and how easily it spreads?

The wall prevented the deaths of Jews in Israel.

During the Second Intifada (2000-2005), terrorists from Judea and Samaria executed horrific attacks including shootings, suicide attacks, and bombings. The violence proved to be most fatal between 2001 and 2004, when 984 Israelis were murdered. As a direct response to the attacks, the IDF began construction of the security fence.

The security fence has reduced suicide attacks to zero.

Just 5% of the security fence is made of concrete. The concrete areas, which are built near roads to prevent shooting attacks, have proven very effective.

Overall Israeli casualties from Palestinian terror have significantly declined since the early 2000s.

Is that information not important in an article like this where Israel is once again painted as evil? I would think that Jewish lives matter at some point.

Christians, I wrote, are not suffering in Bethlehem because of the Wall or Israel.

Open Doors, a human rights group that follows the persecution of Christians, notes in its most recent report that Palestinian Christians suffer from a “high” level of persecution, the source of which is, in its words, “Islamic Oppression”:

“Those who convert to Christianity from Islam, however, face the worst Christian persecution and it is difficult for them to safely participate in existing churches. In the West Bank they are threatened and put under great pressure, in Gaza their situation is so dangerous that they live their Christian faith in utmost secrecy… The influence of radical Islamic ideology is rising, and historical churches have to be diplomatic in their approach towards Muslims.”

And Palestinian Christians, in short, are suffering from the same patterns of persecution — including church attacks, kidnappings and forced conversion — as their co-religionists in dozens of Muslim nations. The difference, however, is that the persecution of Palestinian Christians has “received no coverage in the Palestinian media.” In fact, Cohen explains, “a full gag order was imposed in many cases”:

The only thing that interests the PA is that events of this kind not be leaked to the media. Fatah regularly exerts heavy pressure on Christians not to report the acts of violence and vandalism from which they frequently suffer, as such publicity could damage the PA’s image as an actor capable of protecting the lives and property of the Christian minority under its rule. Even less does the PA want to be depicted as a radical entity that persecutes religious minorities. That image could have negative repercussions for the massive international, and particularly European, aid the PA receives.”

I added, by publishing this article without the facts Israel is portrayed in a bad light, again. I look forward to your explanation for posting the article and placing it on page 2.

She suggested I write a letter to the editor. To what end? Would a letter change the bias of the editors at this paper?

When I asked why the article was not verified before posting she responded, “Since it is a wire story, it is difficult to investigate non-staff for any possible bias.”

So papers who talk about their excellence in journalism don’t verify wire stories. The stories that go viral around the world. Not her fault. What, just following orders, I mean protocol?

I wrote:

“The article about Bansky is pure antisemitism. He has a history of writing antisemitic comments and his artwork has nothing to do with the reality on the ground in Israel. But it gets lots of attention because antisemitism is acceptable today and enabled by the media.”

I informed the editor I would be writing an article about the response from the Globe and Mail, its bias.

“I just want to be sure I understand. Your paper does not verify articles from the wire services. You post as is. You do not reach out to the wire services if they misrepresent the facts or omit important facts.”

Antisemitism is at levels not seen before. And that includes pre-Holocaust. But you did not think it was urgent enough to check with the wire service?”

She suggested, again, I offer a comment. I wonder how much she gets paid for these insightful answers.

 “Since it is a wire story, it is difficult to investigate non-staff for any possible bias. Wire stories are not edited to the same degree as staff or freelance. If a reader or we believe there is a factual error, we will check with the wire service who will check with their reporter. I do reach out to all the wire services on a regular basis regarding errors. If they correct, we will correct too. We have, on occasion, corrected before the wire service if it is urgent.”

Seems articles that promote antisemitism are not worth correcting. Not urgent.

“I am writing an article about the bias at the Globe and Mail and your response to it.That you have refused to see it speaks to the endemic, systemic, innate Jew hatred in the media, today. It rivals the bias during the Holocaust. But take comfort, The Globe and Mail is not alone.”

A few days later the Globe and Mail shared an opinion piece about the rise in racism. Against the Black community and Muslims

I told the public editor that Islam is not a race.

Racism has nothing to do with Islam. But if the purpose of the article was to talk about people under attack, the Jews are under attack. And left out. Hmmm.

I remember leaning about that. During the reign of the Nazis.

Are you seeing a pattern here?

We must call out the media for its bias against Israel, the only democracy, the only vibrant country in the midst of the muck and the misery of the Middle East. We must call out the media for enabling antisemitism. To remain silent is to collude with antisemitism.

 

From the Ethics of the Fathers: “Rabbi Tarfon used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it.”