Recently, the Israeli ambassador called me from one of the bigger states in the U.S., saying quite a few Christian lovers of Israel have asked him for publicity material regarding the settlements.
"Why have you come to me-" I ask him. "Why not higher up, the Foreign Ministry? I'm sure they have video and visual materials and statistics."
"They already offered their services," he says. Eight words: "The settlements are not an obstacle to peace." That's what the Foreign Ministry had to say, even given the demand for information in the field.
The Foreign Ministry has become laggard and weary. It does not see the magnitude of the hour, or the acute need for quality publicity. I was totally shocked to hear Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop suggest that the settlements might not be illegal under international law, and her assertion that boycotters of Israel were anti-Semites. Perhaps the Israeli embassy in Australia is doing its job, or maybe Bishop is just an inquisitive person. I'm assuming there was more on Bishop's desk then the Foreign Ministry's eight words, perhaps the Israeli establishment's forsaken offspring known as the Levy Report.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a romantic friend of Israel's, was shoved into a corner at a press conference in Ramallah, mumbling something along the lines of "the settlements bother me." At a press conference in Jerusalem, Harper said he would not publicly criticize Israel. So, why didn't anyone go into that room where the righteous among the nations stood, and offer him the comprehensive, professional and intensive Levy Report, which in July 2012 was compiled by renowned jurists? Why didn't anyone try to decelerate the European boycott movement by presenting those 96 pages, which unequivocally and conclusively determine that the international laws concerning occupation do not apply to Judea and Samaria, that the settlements are legal and that Israel has the full right to claim sovereignty over the area? Why hasn't the government of Israel adopted the report, which is the essential needle for the balloon of lies?
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to European fulminations, accusing European nations of hypocrisy. When is the last time any of them summoned the Palestinian ambassador to discuss incitement against Israel, he asked aloud at a press conference.
Biting my lower lip, I sat waiting for him to invoke our case, that we have a legal foundation for developing settlements west of the Jordan River without violating Palestinian human rights. Alas, no.
Within Israeli discourse, there exists another asymmetry. The approximate middle line is not flanked by equal margins. After an Israeli teacher told his students that the Israel Defense Forces is cruel and incites against Israel, several individuals began asking what would happen in the education system if a teacher expressed his or her support for the settlement movement.
I'm sorry but that's not a balanced comparison at all. "Supporting settlements" has been government policy for the last 13 Knessets. It won over the majority of Israelis, which was proved at the ballot box. Let's say that far-right political activist Baruch Marzel is on the other side of the mirror from far-left teacher Adam Verete, for good measure.
After hearing his remarks, I would have been willing to die for Verete's right to voice his opinion to students, though I hesitate because of allegations that he would deride his students, claims which I hope are untrue. But I would want my high-school aged children to have teachers who inspire criticism, facilitate independent thinking and pique real interest. I would want them to have knowledgeable, emotionally sensitive teachers, with well-developed, passionate and responsive personalities. I am not afraid of left-wing educators.
"Politics in the classroom is forbidden," say officials who dream of apathetic students, automaton teachers, a quiet institution. At the end of the year, if we see that politics have been balanced, that students have been exposed to the whole spectrum, and that teachers have expressed their opinions out loud without burying them in Bible verses -- we would be overjoyed.
This is the perfect opportunity to divorce ourselves from journalistic misrepresentation. Several of my friends are angry over allegations of left-wing journalists. I, on the other hand, thank God they have opinions of their own. Objective journalism is superficial. Working in such a controversial field, personal opinions engender curiosity, involvement, enthusiasm and better cognizance of the facts than a lack of political persuasions. But today, it appears as though journalists are mostly acting as if they are the spokespeople of unadulterated subjectivity. Obviously they have political opinions. That's a good thing. But they should elaborate what those opinions are before presenting the product to the consumer -- full disclosure, a GPS survey of the territory.
"I believe that we should deport every individual who illegally infiltrated into Israel. Now, we have with us in the studio a representative of the Worker's Hotline. I'm offering you the chance to convince me otherwise."
"In my opinion, the settler leadership's condemnation of the so-called price-tag attacks [pinpointed attacks by right-wing activists] is insincere. Please welcome to the studio a representative of the Yesha council. So, am I correct or not-"
The public has the right to know such opinions before dealing with the issue themselves. For 40 years, new journalism has (rightfully) been in control, reporting from the gut, with no one demanding transparency. But show us what you're made of -- and then start reporting. Enough with the poker face. Enough hypocrisy. Everybody sees that you are conducting the interview behind thick lenses, so tell us what your prescription is!
At the beginning of January, former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear was murdered in the most impersonal way. The Latin beauty queen stopped her car on the side of the road after her vehicle broke down. Some thugs came along and riddled her with bullets. I was shocked. Just like that? A young woman, with a 5-year-old daughter in the car, without any reason at all?
Several days after the news was published, I was stuck with my car not far from the entrance to Ras Karkar. For a second, I felt like Miss Venezuela. Recently, I noticed a strange sticker on Palestinian fuel tankers: a picture of a gun crossed out with a red 'X'. Please don't shoot, this truck carries flammable materials. Clearly, this situation has become abnormal.
About a week ago, terrorists shot at an Israeli family, parents and four young children, near Kedumim. Not five minutes from Kfar Saba, but 20. The bullets hit the car, and by some miracle the family made it out alive. That sounds totally normal, completely understandable: "Two bullet holes in one of the doors," a girl who wakes up to gunshots because the car's owners are Jewish, a father who drives faster to save his children.
We discussed our expectations of journalists. If they're willing, such shootings -- labeled "attempted terrorist attacks" in the press -- should set the agenda. They should come and harass us in droves. The issue must penetrate broadcasts, rile our ministers, penetrate the radio waves, ride public attention. Jewish children were almost killed on a major highway. Jewish children were almost killed on a major highway.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו