Arutz Sheva Accused of Incitement

November 28, 2003 13:19 by

The Israeli Attorney General has instructed the police to launch an investigation against Arutz-7′s internet site for incitement to political violence. This is the article that raised the complaint of MK Zahava Gal’on (Meretz) – an op-ed piece by Gil Ronen that called for a popular movement to encourage Palestinians to flee over the Jordan river. This section in particular was cited by Gal’on as incitement:

Transfer is “cold” expulsion. What we need to set in motion is a more hot-blooded version of this: something that is obviously the result of great rage, a temporarily semi-crazed state of a tortured nation that simply cannot bear to suffer any longer. The only way to throw the Palestinians out is to be as crazy as they are – almost…Unlike the Palestinian’s mass madness, which is purposely created by brainwashing from above, our “craziness” will be a temporary state that we enter into deliberately, and it will not be suicidal in nature. The only ones getting killed will be the Palestinians, and whoever doesn’t want to die will have to run.

Arutz 7 responds to the accusation:

Though Arutz-7 does not endorse the opinions it publishes in its op-ed section, it should be noted that the sentence in question was taken out of context, and does not incite to murder. In fact, the author, Gil Ronen, writes in the article, “no one will have to take the law into his own hands.”

This raises a whole host of issues, among them the legal relationship between a news outlet and its op-ed contributors, and defining prosecutable incitement. But one thing’s for certain: if such standards were applied to the Palestinian press, every PA-sponsored newspaper would have been shut down long ago.

Category: Backspin
4 Comments

4 Comments → “Arutz Sheva Accused of Incitement”

  1. Joseph

    6:18 pm

    Nov 28, 2003

    While expulsion is ab bad word it is the most human answer to Arabs who teach that killing of Jews will be awarded 72 virgins. What should be substituted is the word divorce. Jews are entitled to a divorce from Arab savages. Israel has the right to invade Lebonon for they don’t stop shooting across the border. Transfer all Arabs in the most human way possible. Give the an acre of land for every acre the Arabs leave behind. But they have to go because history has shown they dance when Jews are killed. They can’t even say that they will stop the terror. The only solution is divorce. Fair and square. No one has to live peacfully with a snake.

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  2. Tamar Eden

    10:28 am

    Nov 30, 2003

    The article in question, “Expulsion, Not Transfer” by Gil Ronen is a discussion of military options and strategy that includes the sentence ” Nobody needs to take the law into his own hands”, making it absolutely clear that Mr.Ronen is talking about officially sanctioned military operations, and not an uprising of vigilantes.
    Obviously the actions of MK.Gal-On (and every member of the Knesset who sits in silent acquiescence) is meant to send the message that voices that stray from the “Party-line” will be dealt with severely. Of course, our own MK’s have suggested that we strafe the funeral processions of Palestinian terrorists, and Mr.Ronen’s suggestions only echo previous essays by many other commentators both in Israel and abroad. (see; Gerald A. Honigman )
    “Incitement” is an interesting and woefully “PC” concept. “Inducement” is something more tangible.
    Some would say that, appeasing the “International community”, and rewarding those who have murdered over 1,300 Israelis since Oslo, can only be regarded as “Inducement to violence against the Jewish people”.
    Burning synagogues and attacking old Jews has resulted in a “blame Israel” attitude in much of Europe. Our kow-towing to demands to label Israeli products with the city of origin (in contravention of the Paris accords) has made it simpler for the “Blame Israel” boycotters to carry on their economic jihad against the Jewish State. There are some who would regard our capitulation to EU demands as “Inducement to violence against the Jewish people”.
    The AG’s investigation reveals a dangerous lack of consistency in our society. The assault on “un-approved speech” is specifically aimed at what is perceived as “Anglo-Settler” voices on the fringes of our society. Had a leftist, Sabra journalist penned such a piece, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
    It should be noted that the average Israeli knows nothing about the Arutz-7 case, or Gal-On’s obsession with the Ronen essay. We are however, painfully aware of the fact that our un-elected Knesset continues to reward the murders of our people with ever more far-reaching concessions that result in the inevitable cycle of more terror attacks, more demands from the terror organisations, and more mass funerals of our citizens.
    Personally, I am not in agreement with everything that Mr.Ronen proposes, but I believe that an open and free debate of the challenges facing our society is essential and should not be stifled by threats of criminal prosecution.

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  3. Abbie

    11:25 am

    Dec 03, 2003

    Am I correct in understanding that anything that is not pro-Palestinian is wrong to print. If anyone needs to know what the word “incitement” means, they probably haven’t yet seen the film ‘Relentless’. Please go to the link and see for yourself http://www.honestreporting.com/relentless/view_trailer.asp
    Israel is being given no choice of our options. We will not give up Israel. We will not lay down and die for the Muslims, and I don’t see anyone in America crying for the Talibans that also do not have a state now.
    I live in Israel and personally do not want to deal with the terrorism anymore, and unfortunately the only way to rid ourselves of it, is to get rid of the problem, which comes to the deaths of the terrorists or moving them.
    So are we against telling the truth today? Even if Arutz Sheva is discontinued (pure censorship), the problem and the truth will remain the same. It is so pathetic that Israel and our citizens always need to be whiter than white. The problems today are completely from the Muslim side and until the world realizes it, we are all in danger, especially if we try to squelch the truth being told.

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  4. an israeli

    11:49 am

    Mar 04, 2004

    Its touching for an israeli to see people rallying in favour of his country. Sadly, some well meaning people put a blindfold over their eyes and feel obligated to back any rabid statement produced by fringe extremists.
    The article in question is revolting, sickening. Someone wrote that if these standards were imposed on Paletinian press then every newspaper there would be shut down. He’s right! We in israel are glad that we don’t accept the norms of the Palestinian Authority. We don’t agree to live in such a society. The idea that “if Palestinians can do this then so can we” is tantamount to saying “what the palestinians do is fine”.
    Logically, a less silly argument would be to say “if they are racist and sick then we have to be too”. Personally, I dont accept this for even a minute! Neither does the vast majority of Israelis. Yet this ridiculous argument is, in fact, the article essence: “Unlike the Palestinian’s mass madness… our “craziness” will be a temporary state…”
    Please don’t feel you have to be “crazy” and “throw out” the Palestinians. Support Israel, not every extreme fanatic. Thank you.

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