20 november 2011, Haaretz הארץ (Israel)
Haaretz editor-in-chief and leading media personalities take part in emergency conference aimed at 'stopping the sweeping attacks on the media'.
By Revital Blumenfeld
Top reporters, editors and representatives from the Israeli media convened on Sunday for an emergency conference aimed at defending freedom of the press in the country.
The conference, held at Tel Aviv’s cinematheque, was called in response to a recent downsizing in Israeli media outlets, the pending closure of Israel’s second commercial television channel, Channel 10, and a bill toughening Israeli libel laws.
Some of Israel’s leading journalists and media personalities spoke at the event, including Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Ben, and top journalists Yair Lapid and Ayala Hasson.
This is the first event of this kind, uniting Israeli media to counter what they view is an assault on free press. Conference organizers promise event will be “opening shot to a series of steps, planned for the upcoming weeks, aimed at stopping the sweeping attack on the media.”
The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee last month approved an amendment to the current libel law that, if approved by Knesset, would result in a substantial hike to the maximum damages paid and would loosen the criteria for slander and libel. Criticis of the amendment believe this will hamper freedom of expression and the independent press.
In addition to amendments and legislation being tossed around Knesset, recent action taken against journalists seen as highly critical of the government has caused many to fear an organized silencing of dissenting voices.
Keren Neubach was dismissed from her position as anchorwoman of “Mabat Sheni” (Second Glance), Channel One’s news magazine show. Neubach who held the position for three years, is considered highly critical of the government and many view her dismissal as politically motivated.
“I am concerned with the connection between the assault on the press and that on the judicial system,” veteran investigative journalist Ilana Dayan told participants of the conference. “Someone is afraid of dogged press and a critical Supreme Court.”
Channel 2 News anchor Yair Lapid warned: "An incompetent government is silencing dissenting voices."
Raviv Druker, of Channel 10, said. "Both the government and the rich are a threat to free press."
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terça-feira, 22 de novembro de 2011
sábado, 18 de junho de 2011
Arrested American using Internet limelight to speak out on Palestinian rights
17 June 2011, Haaretz הארץ (Israel)
19-year-old Lucas Koerner was arrested while demonstrating solidarity with Palestinians on Jerusalem Day.
By David Sheen
Since a video of his arrest at a Jerusalem Day parade garnered over a quarter of a million hits on YouTube in under a week, 19-year-old American Lucas Koerner has become an unwilling Internet darling. The Tufts University sophomore says he wishes it would all go away, but is still using his 15 minutes to draw attention to the plight of protesters and Palestinians.
"I never wanted this, I don't really want this, I kind of resent all this sudden surge of public attention," he says.
Koerner's arrest during a left wing Jerusalem Day demonstration was captured by an amateur videographer. In the four-and-a-half-minute clip Koerner is seen holding his American passport and discussing his views, while wearing both a Jewish skullcap and a Palestinian kafiyeh. Koerner, who is not religiously observant, says he doesn't see any dissonance in the juxtaposition of the two.
"My understanding of the Jewish ethical tradition comes primarily from my knowledge of the Jewish historical experience," he says. "I feel they are the principal determining factors: our ethical tradition, our struggles for justice, going back to the 19th-century shtetl, where my great-grandmother was hunted by the Cossacks, in pogroms."
"Every Jewish person has that memory at some point in their family. And he or she, in remaining faithful to that memory, must struggle against all forms of oppression and inequality," he adds. "That has informed my worldview, more than anything else."
Koerner, 19, says that he went to his first anti-war demonstration in Washington, D.C. on his 15th birthday, but says he remembers being against the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, when he was in fourth grade.
Though disappointed that his time here was cut short by his arrest, his experiences haven't soured his belief in universal justice.
"Fundamentally, justice means solidarity with all human beings, period, and an identification with a necessity to protect them," he says. "And at the same time to fundamentally alter the circumstances which perpetuate oppression and situations that put them in harm's way."
19-year-old Lucas Koerner was arrested while demonstrating solidarity with Palestinians on Jerusalem Day.
By David Sheen
Since a video of his arrest at a Jerusalem Day parade garnered over a quarter of a million hits on YouTube in under a week, 19-year-old American Lucas Koerner has become an unwilling Internet darling. The Tufts University sophomore says he wishes it would all go away, but is still using his 15 minutes to draw attention to the plight of protesters and Palestinians.
"I never wanted this, I don't really want this, I kind of resent all this sudden surge of public attention," he says.
Koerner's arrest during a left wing Jerusalem Day demonstration was captured by an amateur videographer. In the four-and-a-half-minute clip Koerner is seen holding his American passport and discussing his views, while wearing both a Jewish skullcap and a Palestinian kafiyeh. Koerner, who is not religiously observant, says he doesn't see any dissonance in the juxtaposition of the two.
"My understanding of the Jewish ethical tradition comes primarily from my knowledge of the Jewish historical experience," he says. "I feel they are the principal determining factors: our ethical tradition, our struggles for justice, going back to the 19th-century shtetl, where my great-grandmother was hunted by the Cossacks, in pogroms."
"Every Jewish person has that memory at some point in their family. And he or she, in remaining faithful to that memory, must struggle against all forms of oppression and inequality," he adds. "That has informed my worldview, more than anything else."
Koerner, 19, says that he went to his first anti-war demonstration in Washington, D.C. on his 15th birthday, but says he remembers being against the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, when he was in fourth grade.
Though disappointed that his time here was cut short by his arrest, his experiences haven't soured his belief in universal justice.
"Fundamentally, justice means solidarity with all human beings, period, and an identification with a necessity to protect them," he says. "And at the same time to fundamentally alter the circumstances which perpetuate oppression and situations that put them in harm's way."
terça-feira, 7 de junho de 2011
Why are the Libyan Rebels seeking Israel’s support?
2 June 2011, Jews for Justice for Palestinians http://jfjfp.com
By Anissa Haddadi
UK International Business Times
As mediation and ceasefire initiatives such as the Road Map proposed by the African Union via South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma failed, a French writer, Bernard Henri Levy announced that he delivered a message on Thursday from Libyan rebel leaders to Israel’s Prime Minister, saying they would seek diplomatic ties with the country if they came to power.
This move, which is set to be ambivalently received in the Muslim world, also breaks the National Transitional Council from the Gaddafi regime, which does not have any diplomatic relations with Israel. Also it comes as the rebels are slowly gaining advantages over Gaddafi. In the last few days they have progressed on the battlefield while the Libyan leader’s regime is facing an increase in defections and is becoming increasingly isolated internationally, especially after last week when Russia shifted its position and called on Gadaffi to step down.
The latest high-profile defection to further demoralise the regime was that of Shukri Ghanem, the regime’s oil minister and former prime minister. He was followed by the defection of eight Libyan army officers, including five generals, who were part of a wider group of 120 military personnel that defected in recent days.
In Africa, five other countries do not formally acknowledge Israel as a state or have diplomatic relations with it. They are Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan, while in the Middle East Iraq, Lebannon, Kuwauit, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen and the United Arab Emirate share the same position.
So why are the rebels interested in obtaining Israel’s support, and affirm they will acknowledge the existence of Israel as a state as soon as they gain power?
Well, according to Levi “The main point was that the future Libyan regime would be moderate and anti-terrorist and will be concerned with justice for the Palestinians and security for Israel”.
It seems that the move will infuriate Gaddafi, not because of the new born relationship between the rebels and Israel but rather because it assumes the transitional council will, no matter what, gain control of the state.
Interestingly, the council’s stance and newly found interest in playing a major role in the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict comes just after the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno Occampo revealed this week that following accusations of arbitrary imprisonment and ill treatment of foreign workers by the rebels fighters, he was “investigating reports of unlawful arrest, mistreatment and killing” of sub-Saharan African civilians wrongly perceived to be mercenaries.
Also, as members of the fighters on the ground were accused of having ties with Al-Qaeda, it seems that expressing support for (and gaining support from) Israel will help the council steer away from accusations of having links with terrorist movements or of harbouring Muslims fundamentalists, who are not generally noted for their love of Israel.
If the new regime (if it arrives) wishes to be taken seriously by Western countries and become a successful intermediate between Israel and Palestine, then recognition of Israel would give it some initial international brownie points by putting it firmly on the international geopolitical map in a region where the West and Israel are actively seeking new allies.
Of course another possibility is that after the surge of negative reports in the last few days the regime felt it had to take a very public stand to reassure Western liberal democracies of its dedication to democracy but also to their ideals and values.
While only time will tell us what really motivated the move, the conflict is still on-going.
Today, the Libyan government tried to play down the significance of yesterday’s defection of the country’s oil minister Shukri Ghanem.
While Libyan officials had previously insisted that Mr Ghanem was on an official trip to Tunisia, Europe and Egypt, a government spokesman was forced to dismiss Mr Ghanem’s departure was a blow to the regime.
“This is a country, a state, a government, not just one person,” Mussa Ibrahim told reporters and insisted Libya would be still represented at the meeting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) in Vienna on June 8. “I don’t have a name yet but we’ll have somebody.”
An executive with the state-owned National Oil Corporation, Mosbah Ali Matoug, took Mr Ghanem’s place today at a meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Cairo.
Meanwhile in rebel-held eastern Libya, an explosion damaged a hotel used by rebels and foreigners in Benghazi, wounding one person while 270 people, who were fleeing the country, went missing after a fishing boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy broke down just off the Tunisian coast.
According to a state run agency, 570 people were rescued and seven people injured, and passengers were mainly said to be migrants from Africa and Asia who planned to enter Italy illegally.
By Anissa Haddadi
UK International Business Times
As mediation and ceasefire initiatives such as the Road Map proposed by the African Union via South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma failed, a French writer, Bernard Henri Levy announced that he delivered a message on Thursday from Libyan rebel leaders to Israel’s Prime Minister, saying they would seek diplomatic ties with the country if they came to power.
This move, which is set to be ambivalently received in the Muslim world, also breaks the National Transitional Council from the Gaddafi regime, which does not have any diplomatic relations with Israel. Also it comes as the rebels are slowly gaining advantages over Gaddafi. In the last few days they have progressed on the battlefield while the Libyan leader’s regime is facing an increase in defections and is becoming increasingly isolated internationally, especially after last week when Russia shifted its position and called on Gadaffi to step down.
The latest high-profile defection to further demoralise the regime was that of Shukri Ghanem, the regime’s oil minister and former prime minister. He was followed by the defection of eight Libyan army officers, including five generals, who were part of a wider group of 120 military personnel that defected in recent days.
In Africa, five other countries do not formally acknowledge Israel as a state or have diplomatic relations with it. They are Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan, while in the Middle East Iraq, Lebannon, Kuwauit, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen and the United Arab Emirate share the same position.
So why are the rebels interested in obtaining Israel’s support, and affirm they will acknowledge the existence of Israel as a state as soon as they gain power?
Well, according to Levi “The main point was that the future Libyan regime would be moderate and anti-terrorist and will be concerned with justice for the Palestinians and security for Israel”.
It seems that the move will infuriate Gaddafi, not because of the new born relationship between the rebels and Israel but rather because it assumes the transitional council will, no matter what, gain control of the state.
Interestingly, the council’s stance and newly found interest in playing a major role in the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict comes just after the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno Occampo revealed this week that following accusations of arbitrary imprisonment and ill treatment of foreign workers by the rebels fighters, he was “investigating reports of unlawful arrest, mistreatment and killing” of sub-Saharan African civilians wrongly perceived to be mercenaries.
Also, as members of the fighters on the ground were accused of having ties with Al-Qaeda, it seems that expressing support for (and gaining support from) Israel will help the council steer away from accusations of having links with terrorist movements or of harbouring Muslims fundamentalists, who are not generally noted for their love of Israel.
If the new regime (if it arrives) wishes to be taken seriously by Western countries and become a successful intermediate between Israel and Palestine, then recognition of Israel would give it some initial international brownie points by putting it firmly on the international geopolitical map in a region where the West and Israel are actively seeking new allies.
Of course another possibility is that after the surge of negative reports in the last few days the regime felt it had to take a very public stand to reassure Western liberal democracies of its dedication to democracy but also to their ideals and values.
While only time will tell us what really motivated the move, the conflict is still on-going.
Today, the Libyan government tried to play down the significance of yesterday’s defection of the country’s oil minister Shukri Ghanem.
While Libyan officials had previously insisted that Mr Ghanem was on an official trip to Tunisia, Europe and Egypt, a government spokesman was forced to dismiss Mr Ghanem’s departure was a blow to the regime.
“This is a country, a state, a government, not just one person,” Mussa Ibrahim told reporters and insisted Libya would be still represented at the meeting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) in Vienna on June 8. “I don’t have a name yet but we’ll have somebody.”
An executive with the state-owned National Oil Corporation, Mosbah Ali Matoug, took Mr Ghanem’s place today at a meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Cairo.
Meanwhile in rebel-held eastern Libya, an explosion damaged a hotel used by rebels and foreigners in Benghazi, wounding one person while 270 people, who were fleeing the country, went missing after a fishing boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy broke down just off the Tunisian coast.
According to a state run agency, 570 people were rescued and seven people injured, and passengers were mainly said to be migrants from Africa and Asia who planned to enter Italy illegally.
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