While progressives love to hate Fox News, the pro-Israel crowd generally finds Fox less aggressively hostile to the Jewish State. That doesn’t mean that Fox is snow white when it comes to choosing page views over truth. A piece published yesterday, Israel’s prime minister and the Palestinian president trade accusations at the United Nations, is proof of that, considering that the headline is not borne out by the text.
Which makes the headline a falsehood.
The reader is confronted with a headline purporting to be evenhanded. Both the Israeli PM and the Palestinian President are said to be trading accusations. The first sentence of the piece clarifies that the two attacked each other:
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked each other in speeches before world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly.
The article goes on to cite “examples” of accusations from each side. There are plenty of real examples of Abbas taking digs at Israel/Netanyahu. However, reading through the entire piece, I see not one accusation leveled by the Israeli PM against Abbas.
Genocide
The examples are sorted according to subject matter. On the subject of genocide for example, Abbas accuses Israel of waging a “war of genocide,” deliberately targeting civilians, and committing war crimes. But when it comes to Netanyahu’s supposed accusation/attack, the article cites Netanyahu speaking about the use of human shields by Hamas militia. Nothing about Abbas. Nothing about genocide.
A Chance At Peace
Abbas accuses Israel of scuttling all efforts at peace by way of breached agreements, land confiscations, and so on.
Netanyahu? He says Israel wants peace, but the challenge is militant Islam and a need for a broad rapprochement between Israel and the Arab countries. Where is the accusation here? Nothing about Abbas. No blame. No accusation.
A challenge is cited. Not a challenge from Abbas and his people, but from militant Islam in general. And by the way, since when is experiencing a challenge the same thing as leveling an accusation?
Occupation
Abbas accuses Israel of occupying Arab land.
Netanyahu says Israel doesn’t occupy Arab land. This is an attack? An accusation? No. It’s a denial of Abbas’ claim, or a refutation.
Not an accusation. Not an attack.
Hamas
The article cites no accusation on either side, which proves that the headline is only “link bait” or something to tempt and draw in readers. Abbas defends the unity government he made with Hamas. Netanyahu explains why he sees Hamas and ISIS in the same light.
UN Resolution
No accusation here, either. Though you might be excused for calling Abbas’ threat an “attack” against Israel. Abbas calls on the UN Security Council to end the Israeli “occupation.”
Netanyahu calls for direct negotiations.
The End.
The thing that irks me most about that lying son-of-a-gun of a headline is that Israel comes first, as if Israel were the primary party responsible for starting this whole game of one-upmanship in which the two sides trade barbs. Except there’s no game and no two sides trading. One side making digs at the other side. Not Israel. Fox lists not a single accusation by Netanyahu against Abbas in the entirety of this piece.
Which is kind of ironic, considering that in his address, Netanyahu did definitely take a potshot against Abbas or rather at the world at large:
It’s the same moral universe where a man who wrote a dissertation of lies about the Holocaust and who insists on a Palestine free of Jews — Judenrein — can stand at this podium and shamelessly accuse Israel of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
I guess Fox or its source, the AP, completely missed that reference to Abbas’ doctoral dissertation which bore this oh-so-delectable title, The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism.
As we say in Hebrew: v’ha’mayveen, yaveen.
The only thing I can say about Fox is that it is better than CBS, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, and CNN. Shepard Smith always makes snarky comments about Israel even when he is supposed to be just giving the straight news and the less said about Geraldo Rivera the better. Fix has become increasingly predictable and boring with the same guests such as John Bolton who wants Israel to attack Iran (although how Israel is supposed to do that logistically he never says), Karl Rove (a Bush flack), “Judge” Andrew Napolitano (a 9/11 Truther), John Stossel (a radical Libertarian whiner), Alan Comes (a lock step Obama supporter who would still support Obama even if Obama committed a murder on live TV), and Sarah Palin (who only allows herself to be interviewed by Sean Hannity or Greta van Sustern because they toss her softball questions).
I meant “Fox” not “Fix”.
There’s an edit button.
Right on all counts. No disagreement from me.
Wow is it true you have 12 children? (just curious)
Yup. 8 boys, 4 girls. 🙂
Bobbi – is this a Yom Kippur moment for you re: Bibi?
Herbie, here’s my current thinking: Bibi isn’t the leader I wish we had, but he is, at present, the only Israeli politician with leadership qualities. He’s it and God apparently wants it this way. Bibi’s Yom Kippur test is to follow God’s will instead of his own. Do I think he’ll pass the test? I guess I don’t have the right to make that determination, since all Jews have the avenue of teshuva.
We could sure use a leader that cares more about Israeli rights than Arab invaders
We could sure use a leader that puts the good of the country ahead of the world’s concerns.
Really nice work Varda. The problem with stations like Fox is that they mix “Truth” with “Untruth” which makes it so much harder to refute the subtle lies which you have done so thoroughly here Varda. Although I must say that Fox’s Megyn Kelly seems to be doing a really good job especially when it comes to Muslim women’s rights.
It was obvious that Glenn Beck would not last long at Fox with Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of the Saudi Royal family, as the #2 investor after Murdoch. The problem with stations like Fox is that they mix “Truth” with “Untruth” which makes it so much harder to refute the lies – which you have done expertly here Varda.
The web is awash with stories of Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal:
http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2014/jan/06/facebook-posts/facebook-group-no-2-owner-fox-news-prince-alwaleed/
Also from the leftist Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/23/stewart-fox-prince-alwaleed_n_692234.html
The Prince is everywhere:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Waleed_bin_Talal
Thank you, itna. Sometimes it seems so tedious. I’m never sure if my readers will want to follow through all that analysis. I’m glad you stuck with me to the end!
Follow through always! You’ll be read and appreciated. And the few like you that push the elephant up the hill influence 1 or 2 on the way. And those you do influence convey the message to yet another 3 or 4 and so on and so on.
Your message will spread – exactly as in ‘Lashaon HaRa” except in your case it’s “Lashon HaTov” – Gmar Hatima Tova!
God willing, itna! Thank you so much for these encouraging words. Shana Tova and gmar chatima tova to you, too!
Half of the U.S. Think Tanks are owned by muslims
If Bibi didn’t accuse Abbas of anything, then he darn well should have. When it comes to peace partnering, Abbas and the PLO are frauds, whose primary interest is in mulcting big bucks from the dupes and idiots in Washington and the EU. Rather than put up with Abbas’s lies and insults, Bibi should send him and his henchmen packing for Switzerland, where they can be close to their money, and rule the West Bank directly until a bona fide peace partner comes along.
I do not disagree with you at all, Norman. I think we should PAY them to leave. But whoops, that would be TRANSFER. For some reason a dirty word.