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Archive for the ‘Blog World’ Category

Anti-Israel blogger Richard Silverstein has had his crowning moment: being cited by rabid anti-Semite David Duke. (hat tip: GabysPoppy)

Of course, it is hardly surprising, considering their shared proclivity for posting false libels against Israel and the Jewish people.

I wonder if Silverstein will have another occurrence of intellectual glow.

Anti-Israel blogger Richard Silverstein has once thumbed his nose at the truth.

In a comment* to this post that “Arabs [in Israel] walk around in perfect safety”, Silverstein responded in his usual shrill fashion:

Tell it to the inhabitants of Jabel Mukaber who would’ve been pummeled by pogromists if they’d dared venture out of their homes. Tell it to the 12 Nazareth Israeli Arabs murdered by the Border Police while demonstrating peaceably during the Intifada. Tell it to the Arabs sprayed with automatic weapons fire by Israeli Arab-hater, Natan Zenda. Tell it to the scores of Arabs who were gunned down in their village under Palmach orders for violating a curfew they didn’t even know existed during the War of Independence. Tell it to the 250 or so murdered villagers of Deir Yassin to whom Menachem Begin’s crew wanted to teach a lesson. I could go on.

Yes, he could go on and on. Problem is, he made a number of errors in his comment, and I submitted the following comment under a different name pointing this out, given his proclivity for banning me (click on below screenshot to see more clearly):

The reason for taking the screenshot was because I (justifiably) knew he would not approve it - even though there is nothing rude or offensive in it - since it shows him to have made many sloppy, factual errors.

Note I especially included my third point because Silverstein, in his very same comment above, berates a pro-Israel commenter who mispelled someone’s name:

His name is “Whitaker,” not that you’d care about accuracy.

In any event, all of the points I raised demonstrate Silverstein’s sloppy fact-checking, and his moderation of my comment demonstrates his disdain for the truth.

Again, many of you are probably asking why I bother with someone like this. After all, he is relatively insignificant (despite his delusions of grandeur), and seems to like the attention. The answer is that while one approach to spreading the truth is blogging my usual fare, another approach is to tear apart the arguments and credibility of those who make it their business to defame Israel and the Jewish people. And Silverstein - despite being Jewish - does not stop bashing Israel armed with an arsenal of lies, half-truths and distortions.

Bonus exercise: If you really have time, have a look at how he treats the commenters who disagree with him, bearing in mind his complaints about nasty behavior in the blogosphere.

(hat tip to Amir, for pointing out his comment and inaccuracies)

* Here is a screenshot of his comment in case he tries his old trick of modifying comments

Another blogger has received the “Richard Silverstein” treatment and has blogged about it here.

The first time I visited his site, he tried to blame Israel for a 20 year-old Palestinian suicide attacker named Mohammed Salem Al-Harbawi, who killed himself and an Israeli woman early last month. Comments between myself and several other people were heated, but not excessively so. However, Silverstein did something I have never seen a web-owner do before. In order to “win” the debate, he misrepresented what I said, and then claimed victory by declaring his own comment section closed so I couldn’t respond to it. To me, that seemed extremely rude, but I figured, it’s his blog after all, and sometimes comments can go on too long. However, I didn’t really understand why he didn’t just use the site controls to shut down comments for everyone instead. But I found out later the real reason he declared it “closed” was because he didn’t like to be challenged on his own site.

Read the whole thing to see Silverstein’s bad behavior, including his tactics of shutting up opponents and threatening them, as I have posted about on numerous occasions.

On one point I have to disagree with the blogger. He refers to Silverstein as a”fairly successful Jewish blogger.”

I wouldn’t go that far.

Would you believe the Prime Minister’s Office? (hat tip: Backspin)

Well, technically, I guess it isn’t really a blog. But try telling that to the PMO.

Travel Diary - PM Visit to Japan

With Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s departure on a diplomatic visit to Japan, we have decided – for the first time – to post a blog on the Prime Minister’s Office website. The blog, written by personnel from the Prime Minister’s Bureau, will deal with the goals and objectives that we have set for the trip and with the meetings that Prime Minister Olmert will hold during his visit. The goal is allow those surfing the website to learn directly about the course of the visit and to obtain regular updates about its developments. For our part, this is another tool to increase the transparency of the Prime Minister’s activities in general and to reveal some of his wide-ranging diplomatic work. Upon the conclusion of the visit, as well as during its course, we would be pleased to receive comments about the blog and its contents.

I’ve been so caught up with my liveblogging that I almost missed this story: an Israeli blogger has been interrogated by the Shin Bet.

His co-blogger Akiva (who helped with the JIBs this year) explains what happened:

R. Nati, a contributor to this blog, was summoned to the (Israeli) police station today. When he arrived, he was escorted to a room. The police were not waiting, instead the Israeli Internal Security (Shabak, or Shin Bet, the Israeli counter-intelligence and internal security service) was waiting for him.

He was interrogated as a right-wing activist (he’s not), for possible involvement in planning anti-public activities (he’s not involved in any way), and for publishing a Violent (?) Anti-Government (?) & Anti-Homosexual (???) Blog - Mystical Paths.

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Violent - All I can say is ?????. Mystical Paths has never recommended or suggested any violent action against anyone, nor have any writers on Mystical Paths performed any such actions. Anyone who thinks otherwise has misread or excerpted items out of context.

Anti-Government - Mystical Paths does not espouse the overthrow of any Western government. Chaos and revolution is not the friend of the Jewish people. Rather, in cases where we disagree with current government policy, either of Israel or the United States, we recommend democratic actions be taken to replace the current _administration and elected officials_ with leaders that would head in a different direction. Democratic actions means, votes, protests, political organizing, and getting a message out.

Anti-Homosexual - ???? What in the world? The human drive in this area is probably the most prone area for the Yetzer Hara to attack a person. Those challenged with complete misdirection of their drives have perhaps one of the greatest challenges there is. Like people with challenges in any area, people with challenges in this area should be recommended to and given opportunities to improve. Mystical Paths does not agree with, and does recommend _peacefully_ protesting against, those who would flaunt their challenges, especially those who would do it specifically in religious and holy places, and this includes Jerusalem.

Disagreeing with the _administration and elected officials_ positions is not a crime in a Western democracy. Not even in Israel.

What next? Are they gonna be hauling in my tuches because of my Olmert Separated at Births? Or because I believe this government has a lot to answer for?

Let’s make it nice and clear: I will be exercising my democratic right to vote this government out of power during the next Israeli elections. And I’m gonna enjoy it.

In a post entitled “Ya Gotta Love That Google Algorithm” anti-Israel blogger Richard Silverstein had this to say:

We’ve all heard about that vaunted Google Algorithm, something like McDonald’s secret sauce. Well, the algorithm sometimes fails as it did in this instance [click on thumbnail- Aussie Dave] in which Google Adsense generated this ad in my sidebar. Somehow, I don’t think many of my readers are seeking careers in anti-terrorism.

At last something we agree on.

I’m just surprised he admitted it.

On my Elder of Ziyon blog I’ve been conducting a contest to see who will be the 2007 Dhimmi of the Year. The voting should be for prominent non-Muslims who have accepted and embraced their second-class status in a Muslim-dominated world in 2007.

More details on some of the nominees can be seen here and in the comments on that posting.

As of this writing the race is still wide open. Voting will end later today, so get your votes in!

Heck, for a second there I thought I made the New York Times.

We always knew anti-Israel blogger Richard Silverstein was a nutcase. But he really outdoes himself in this latest post in which he once again goes after blogger Lisa Goldman, who has been nominated in this year’s Brass Crescent Awards.

As usual, the writing is verbose, so I’ll summarize the post for you if you can’t wade through it.

Don’t vote for Lisa Goldman in the Brass Crescent Awards because she is editor of the Global Voices Israel section which has featured right-wing anti-Palestinian blogger, Aussie Dave, and has not included wonderful blogs such as mine - oh, no wait, she has not contributed a post to GV in a year and may no longer be the Israel section editor. But I’ll continue with the diatribe anyway.

Actually, here’s a real quote from his post:

I also never understood why Tikun Olam, which regularly deals with the Israeli politics and society was rejected for the Israel section while other blogs are included though the blogger does not live in Israel (this is also true of other national sections). The Palestine and Lebanon GV editors have included links to my blog, but not the Israel editor. It’s a little strange if you ask me.

Because I’m a giver, I have offered Richard Silverstein the probable explanation: his posts are full of lies and distortions, and not particularly well written.

Note: In the comments to Silverstein’s masterpiece, Lisa claims I wrote to her to complain, when she was still writing the roundups about Israel, that she did not mention me frequently enough for my tastes. For the record, this is exactly what I wrote to her during the Lebanon War:

Hi Lisa,

Not even one mention on Global Voices?! Crikey, I have been spending all my free time on this, and have been interviewed by the BBC with more interviews to come (although Sky bumped me last night).

Oh, the disappointment!

David

This was a half tongue-in-cheek mail, which Lisa took in the right way, as indicated by her reply to it. So I was rather surprised by Lisa’s characterization of our correspondence (not to mention her silence in the face of yet another Silverstein accusation that I am anti-palestinian, considering I have defended Lisa on here on many occasions). But I’ll go easy on Lisa, since she probably has enough on her mind at the moment.

Lisa’s comment gave Silverstein the opportunity to take another potshot at me.

Why does that not surprise? God’s gift to the Israeli blog world would certainly believe he should be quoted everywhere at every time.

Which is ironic, considering this is exactly what Silverstein was arguing about his blog in the post.

Update: Silverworm responds, betraying further how desperate he is for attention.

Talk about lies & misinformation.  I’ve been interviewed & mentioned in a NY Times front page article.  That ever happen to you?  I’ve got a chapter in an essay collection coming out through Verso Books this fall.   Anyone ever ask you to write a book or even a chapter of a book?  No?   What a surprise.  It must be because a book editor see’s my writing style a bit differently than you do.  And btw, on what basis do you critique my writing style?  Do you have any expertise in the subject?  Ever take a writing course?  Ever edit a book, magazine or newspaper?  Ah, just as I thought.  Typical self-appointed know it all critic.  The kind the right produces so many of.

You got on TV and radio.  Whoa, way to go Dave!  I’ve done both already in my career as well.  Big deal.

So sorry to see your Alexa ranking is down to 544,000, Dave.  Don’t look know but we progressive Jewish bloggers are gaining on you.  In fact, we’re on the way up & have passed you & you’re on the way down I’m sorry to say.  Maybe it’s you who no one wants to read.

And if you’re talking about my alleged lies about your right-wing, anti-Palestinian views, I’m still waiting for that libel lawsuit, Dave.   I’ve got pretty good legal representation and we’ve defended ourselves pretty well against Rachel Neuwirth so far.

My work here is complete. I’ve wanted to get Silverworm to look as ridiculous as possible, and I’ve succeeded. Now if anyone reading this (or the comments on his blog) actually assign to him any credibility or intellectual abilities, I cannot help you.

My friend Noah Pollak rips anti-Israel commentator Daniel Levy a new one in such convincing style, I just had to share it with you.

Excerpt:

Daniel Levy has of late become one of the most sought-after leftist commentators on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and one of the most frequently quoted and interviewed pundits on the subject in the mainstream press. His name regularly appears in news stories in the New York Times and Washington Post, among other papers. Cultivating an image of expertise and sobriety, he is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, which advertises itself as a center-left source of serious analysis. The day after Annapolis, he debated David Frum for 40 minutes on bloggingheads.tv, the video of which was posted at the end of last week and which has now been posted on the New York Times’s website.

Levy’s performance was astonishing. His preferred tactic was to repeatedly digress from the debate in order to lecture Frum on what he claimed to be the “historic context” of the conflict; his appearance on Bloggingheads is one of the most misleading performances I’ve ever seen on the conflict from a putatively serious person. This is a long fact-check, but I think it’s a necessary one.

Now go and read the whole thing.

Occasionally, a blogger will make the news instead of blogging it.

This has just happened to fellow anglo-Israeli blogger Lisa Goldman - who blogs here. Ha’aretz is reporting that she was one of three Israeli journalists recently probed for unauthorized travel to an enemy state.

The Israel Police recently interrogated three Israeli journalists suspected of unauthorized travel to an enemy state, following visits to Syria and Lebanon.

The journalists were named as Ron Ben-Yishai, who reported for the “Yedioth Aharonot” newspaper from Syria; Tsur Shezaf, who wrote from Lebanon for the Israeli geographical magazine “Masa Aher” (A Different Voyage) and Lisa Goldman, who traveled twice to Lebanon for Channel 10 television. All of the visits took place in the last few months.

The travel by Israeli citizens to enemy states is considered a serious crime, even if they travel with foreign passports, due to the risk to their own lives and to the security of the state. The maximum penalty for the offense is four years in jail.

Alon Shahrabani, head of the economic and security branch of the International Crimes Investigations Unit, told Israel Radio that the journalists under investigation had not received the necessary permits from the prime minister and interior minister to make the journeys.

“They left on a personal mission to those states, and were investigated because we take a grave view of these actions, which place Israel under great risk, beyond the personal risk to their security,” Shahrabani said.

He added that the evidence gathered in the investigation would be transferred to the State Prosecution.

Dalia Dorner, president of the Israel Press Council, said that “one of our missions is to preserve the freedom of the press - that is fundamental. The catch is that if a journalist commits a deed that is considered a legal offense, then of course we cannot get involved.”

“I understand the security aspect - the law must be protected. Myself - when I read those articles, I thought they traveled with permits,” Dorner said. “I hope that the matter stays within the limits of an investigation and a warning. Ultimately, these are good people who wanted to work on their journalistic craft.”

Lisa Goldman confirmed to Haaretz on Thursday that she had been interrogated a month ago, but expressed great surprise that details of the investigation had emerged, given that the police had told her not to discuss it.

“I have no idea who leaked this story,” she said. “I was completely flabbergasted when an Israeli reporter telephoned me today to inform me that the investigation had been announced on the radio. I have no idea who leaked it and very surprised that it’s now been released. The police told me not to discuss the interrogation and I didn’t. Therefore I am very surprised that the matter is now being exposed in the media.”

Goldman said that she had been unaware that she had broken any laws, adding that, “if I had known there was no way I would have gone.”

She told Haaretz that she had received congratulatory calls from “very senior members of the Prime Minister’s Office” after her report from Lebanon had been broadcast on Channel 10 television, and it seems that they “were not aware of the law either.”

Goldman said that she had been surprised by the fact that police were investigating the issue at all, given that a significant number of Israeli journalists had traveled to Arab states in recent years.

“I’m very surprised that the police have now opened an investigation against three Israeli reporters when there must be at least 10 who traveled to Arab countries using foreign passports over the last couple of years alone, and there are certainly many, many precedents over the last decade.”

Lisa traveled to Lebanon earlier this year and filed some reports for Channel 10, although I was under the impression she traveled to Lebanon on her own initiative (Lisa, feel free to correct me if I am wrong). In any event, you can read her blog posts from her trip here.

Here’s hoping everything works out for Lisa.

Anti-Israel and anti-cyber-bullying campaigner Richard Silverstein on online harassment:

Tell me if you ever figure out what his [mine - Aussie Dave] real name is (I know it’s Dave L.). He likes to hide in semi anonymity on the web & I’d love to out his real name.

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But it’s funny he would visit this site directly from extremetracking, his site stat program, & show his login ID (better change that Dave, you wouldn’t want us snooping around in yr account).

On respect:

I so detest this right-wing Arab-hating blogger, Aussie Dave, that I don’t want to give him the pleasure of visiting.

On honesty:

Second, I have edited portions of the most stupid of his comments because I just didn’t have the stomach to answer them (though I’ve only done this twice I think & only removed minor snippets).

Bonus: Silverstein repeating past slander:

Davey used to be a member of Pajamas Media which is a right wing blog aggregator featuring sites like Little Green Footballs, Solomonia, Pamy Geller, etc. Dave used to be a member till they winnowed out the chaff fr. the wheat & dumped him (but don’t tell him that–he CHOSE to leave don’t ya know). (I left voluntarily after not being happy with their direction - Aussie Dave)

All this and more on Silverstein’s Israel Palestine Forum (from which I was banned after Silverstein saw a visitor come via my stats program).

Tikkun Olam indeed.

Warning: reading the posts there may cause nausea.