'If your case is weak...'
The Israeli media, says Emad Gad, are hitting the UN with some of their hardest punches
Attacks on the United Nations and its various institutions are a regular occurrence in the Israeli media. The UN, particularly the General Assembly and Secretary-General Kofi Annan, have been the subject of ongoing campaigns in the Israeli media. The attacks have recently grown fiercer after the General Assembly issued several resolutions condemning Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. The UN has demanded that Israel stop shirking its responsibilities as an occupying authority and desist all actions to change facts on the ground.
The campaign against the UN secretary-general surpassed all limits after he voiced his objections to the construction of the separation barrier and criticised the excessive use of force by Israeli occupation forces against Palestinians.
Some segments of the Israeli media have described the UN, particularly the General Assembly, as a "terrorist" organisation that submits to the will of Arab nations. The UN contravenes facts, they say, to the extent that soon the organisation is expected to issue a resolution saying the earth is triangular.
Annan has been the subject of a harsh campaign that has described him as a "backwards Negro" who has just come down from the trees.
Clearly, UN officials have become used to dealing with Israel as a nation above international law, a nation to which international rules and the principles in the UN Charter do not apply. Even resolutions issued by the UN that are supportive of Israel remain merely ink on paper -- unimplemented.
This sense of being above international law and beyond criticism has led some segments of the Israeli media over the past few days to launch a fierce campaign against the US and the International Red Cross, neither of which has been the subject of attack in the Israeli media. The US is Israel's prime supporter on many levels while the Red Cross, though garnering no appreciation from the Israeli public, has been immune from attack due to its impartiality, its avoidance of political issues and its focus on humanitarian issues.
The attack on the US came after the US State Department issued a report saying that Israeli forces use excessive force in the Palestinian territories and violate human rights. The report also noted that Israel's separation barrier is infringing upon Palestinian rights. As soon as a summary of the report was published on the Hebrew news site News First Class ( www.nfc.co.il ), an attack began on the US. "They use violence whenever and wherever they please," wrote one respondent. "Then they ask us to control ourselves. Let the Americans use moral standards in their own actions." Another respondent wrote, "In Iraq, Afghanistan and American military bases, the Americans are not only killing Arabs and treating them cruelly, they are raping American female recruits. They are backward hypocrites." Still another: "The Americans are violating all human rights in Guantanamo," while another wrote, "The US State Department needs to prepare a report on the excessive use of force by the Americans against Native Americans."
The assault on the Red Cross was even more severe. It came after the organisation issued a statement condemning the construction of the separation barrier in the West Bank, saying that it contravenes international law. "The problems that have appeared in the daily life of Palestinians show that the wall contravenes Israel's obligation to observe international law and guarantee the safety of those who live under occupation," the statement said. "The organisation respects the right of Israel to defend itself and it does not call on Israel to stop construction of the wall altogether but only on Palestinian territories."
After the Red Cross issued the statement, it became the subject of attacks on Israeli news Web sites, particularly www.walla.co.il. Comments included, "The Red Cross and Hamas are two sides of the same coin." Another reader commented, "It's important that people know that during World War II the Red Cross offered no help to Jews. Indeed, it turned them over to the Germans. Now we have a state and they think they have the right to tell us what to do. What impudence."
The Israeli media's treatment of the International Court of Justice hearings to determine the legality of Israel's separation wall and the attack on international organisations provoked the ire of one of the most prominent figures of the Israeli left, Uri Avnery. In an article published in Gush Shalom on 29 February, Avnery described the Israeli media's treatment of the ICJ proceedings as "reminiscent of Soviet-style media tactics".
"[Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon's people have realised that Israel has no hope of winning in court," Avnery wrote. "So they decided to boycott the hearings and take recourse in the Israeli saying, 'If your case is weak, raise your voice.'
"The image presented in the media to the Israeli public reminds me of Soviet methods. The Israeli media acted as one in the service of the government's brainwashing. All television stations, radio stations and newspapers, without exception, gave the impression that the entire world was glued to the Israeli street protests. The court proceedings were presented as unimportant, a sideshow put on by Arabs and anti- Semites."
After the article was published, Avnery himself was the subject of a press campaign that described him as a homosexual and anti-Semitic trash on the same level as Hussein Nasrallah, Mordecai Vanunu and Ahmed Yassin. Some even demanded that he be tried for treason.
To read more details about the press campaign against the US and the Red Cross, visit the Web site of Arabs Against Discrimination ( www.aad-online.org ).
