Dances With Durban, Tangos With Tutu – Confronting Anti-Israel Media Bias in South Africa
August 8, 2012 11:00 by GuestPostOdious comparisons of Israel to Apartheid South Africa have become more than a source of fascination for journalists, broadcasters and readers. These comparisons have become the fodder for headlines, late-night radio shows and skewed documentaries. Since the end of Apartheid, South Africa has been seen as the benchmark by which any fight against racism is measured and Israel’s image is significantly tarnished when icons of the Apartheid struggle like Archbishop Desmond Tutu use the media as their own personal soap box against the Jewish State.
Continuous calls by Tutu for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel dominate South African headlines but sadly there is little more than a squeak for the victims of genocide in Darfur. The stigmatization of Israel by Tutu is extremely newsworthy. After all, if the voice of the “Boycott South Africa” campaign that reigned supreme in the 1980’s says Israel is a pariah state and must be treated as such is on every front page he must be a respected authority.
Negative press coverage against Israel only gained greater trajectory post Operation Cast Lead. A noticeable change in attitude by the South African government towards Israel has occurred and as a result, more hostile media coverage. While emphatically declaring that they support a two state solution, both the government and media have firmly aligned themselves behind the Palestinians. In fact, any opposition to the Israeli “Goliath” to the Palestinian “David” has the press hounds salivating like dogs with a nice, juicy steak.
This was very evident during the 2010 Mavi Marmara Flotilla. South Africa was the only country apart from Turkey to recall its Ambassador. Very curious and worrying when ambassadors were not recalled during Lebanon 2 or the Intifada or Cast Lead. Many wondered what a journalist from the Islamic radio station; Radio 786’s Ghadija Davids was doing aboard the ship. Tales of her woes in supposed capture were feted in all mediums. The Goldstone Report issued by famed South African Justice Richard Goldstone and its subsequent repeal received coverage worthy of a Cecil B. DeMille epic movie plot.
It is extremely difficult to separate government and editorial policy in South Africa. If the proposed laws that restrict the criticism of the government by the media come into effect, what would it mean for activists dedicated to making the case for Israel which necessitates the questioning of South African foreign policy? There is no clear answer and the staunch effort made by those arguing against the proposed laws are certainly valiant and should be applauded.
There have been victories over the years. Efforts by the Media Team Israel as well as certain leadership and individuals in the community have ensured that the Israeli narrative is heard. Opinion editorials that are biased do not go unanswered and criticism of Israel on radio and television are not without counter-arguments.
South Africa is a fascinating case study for those wanting to understand media bias. Sometimes it seems as though all roads lead back to South Africa because some of Israel’s most vocal critics such as Tutu, Navi Pillay who heads up the UN Human Rights Council as well as proponents of the BDS movement originate from that country. Pay attention to this African country because some of the greatest battles that Israel will face in the media in the near future in other countries have already been fought in South Africa.
Alex Payne
12:26 pm
Aug 12, 2012
During WW2 I was being trained as a pilot in the SAAF. Before I had my wings the war ended, so I resighned. Now this is my biggest regret because I could have stayed in the SAAF untill I was needed by the IDF complete with a sqadron or more of Spitfires. But ofcourse it all happened without 20/20 hind site.
During the the most important ever war of indedendance I had the pleasure chairing the Youth Aleyah fund raising commitee in Pretoria and if I was jounger I would be doing this now.
By the way, the anti semetic and anti Israeli crap in Durban in particular is because this city has an enormouse load of Pakistani muslim residents.
Shalom
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m
5:33 pm
Aug 12, 2012
“By the way, the anti semetic and anti Israeli crap in Durban in particular is because this city has an enormouse load of Pakistani muslim residents.”
And as I often point out, wherever that misogynistic death cult invades, misery is sure to follow. Just look at Europe.
We do not have the issues here in Canada (at least not out west where we live) YET. But the left continues to pander to islam and all manner of immigrants that we do not need or really want. The LEFT enables those ppl to come here and when they do they do not want to assimilate. All they want to do is bring their disgusting baggage with them. That is the same baggage they “claim” to be escasping inorderto get into our count
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m
5:36 pm
Aug 12, 2012
Whoops, ran out of characters….
in order to get into our COUNTRY.
I am weary of hearing about radical islam versus moderate muslims. There is no radical or moderate islam, just islam, and it’s all bad at the end of the day. Being a “moderate” muslim is an oxymoron, because by definition, a good muslim can’t be moderate.
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richard mitchell
6:45 pm
Aug 12, 2012
Shame on the ANC government. Remember if you bless Israel, you are blessed, if you curse, well one can see how the curse is working in South Africa, because of your actions you are taking the rest of us down. Please pray for peace in South Africa, and for our leaders to have a change of heart.
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m
6:57 pm
Aug 12, 2012
” Remember if you bless Israel, you are blessed, if you curse, well one can see how the curse is working in South Africa, because of your actions you are taking the rest of us down”
Actually, the real reason you should support Israel is that it is a legal sovereign nation that does more good for the rest of the planet (including their filthy enemies), than any other nation.
It’s fine to think the way you do and I am not trying to be argumentative, but God should not even come into the rational for support of Israel. Support for Israel is just the right thing to do.
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joseph mamelak
4:40 pm
Aug 14, 2012
The people that point to the presense of Moslem immigrants as the reason for the persistent left wing origin of anti-Israeli press and politicians , should be held to as the basis of SA’s loud anti Israelism. True elsewhere too. What can be done about it? Create anti immigrant parties for Moslems,support anti Moslem policies in European countries, etc. Will the Jewish intelligentia support this? My guess no; too practical and not hi-fallutin enugh
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jeffrey freedman
10:03 pm
Aug 14, 2012
How quickly the African National Congress and Bishop Tutu, forgot who defended Nelson Mandela during the Rivonia Trial, a Jewish lawyer Issie Maisels. How the single voice against Apartheid in parliament during the pre-ANC days was a brave Jewish woman, Helen Suzman. That the majority of students who at Wits University were placed under house arrest for their stand against Apartheid were Jewish. Israel is an integral part of Jewish history,and railing against Israel is felt as an affront by most Jews, and akin to anti- semitism.
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Lionel Thwaits
11:30 am
Aug 15, 2012
The thing that bothers me about Mr Tutu is that the things he says about Israel are totally foreign to anyone who understands the Jewish people and how God has used them to bring His Word to the World.
The people who brought the Gospel to us were all Jewish and to top it all,the greatest Jew who ever lived died on the Cross to pay the price for his sins.Something just doesn’t add up here and it leaves many of us wondering if he really has a relationship with the God of Israel or if he is being controlled by a religious spirit which only impresses the less discerning.
He is actually taking sides with a religion consisting of people who have one thing in mind and that is to get rid of Jews.
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Brent Pudsey
2:01 pm
Aug 16, 2012
Excellent analysis and a well written and informative peace. Having read work by Tutu I was suprised to hear of his opossition to Israel.
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Mike
6:31 pm
Aug 21, 2012
Brent
Tutu a man of God??
Give me a break -he is an anti semite
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Geoff
11:44 pm
Nov 22, 2012
Tutu is a two faced fraud On one hand, he puts out a façade of geniality, bonhomie and good humour. But behind the smile is a man filled with bile and hatred. Where did this “good” Christian learn to hate one single group of people? Was he born this way or was he indoctrinated? Whatever the explanation, he is not a true Christian, just a fraud who does not adhere to Christianity. He makes a good successor to the nazis and Goebbels.. Tutu could have been editor of der Sturmer. How would he have behaved f he lived in nazi Germany? I know the answer to that and so does Tutu. He disgraces his religion!
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Mohammed
8:12 am
Oct 11, 2012
I like the answer of this German Scholar when he was asked about terrorism and Islam: He said:
· Who started the First World War, which killed 37 million and injured 22, 379, 053 that includes 7 million civilians? Muslims?
· Who started the Second World War, which killed over 60 million, which was over 2.5% of the world population? Muslims?
· Who killed about 20 million of Aborigines in Australia? Muslims?
· Who drop the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed 166,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki? Muslims?
· Who killed more than 100 million Red Indians in North America? Muslims?
· Who killed more than 50 million Indian in South Americ
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m
5:07 pm
Oct 11, 2012
We are discussing the here and now. Who are 99.9 % of the current terrorists on this planet …. MUSLIMS.
What have muslims done in the past in the name of their misogynistic death cult you ask. They murdered almost all who would not submit to that vile “club”. The lucky ones that were spared were DHIMMIS, less than 2nd class citizens and forced to pay ridiculous taxes for that “privilege”.
Unlike Jews and Christians who have for the most part moved into the 21stC, most adherents of jizlam remain in the Medieval period. They tried to murder that little girl inPakistan last week but botched the job. Her crime was speaking her mind about women in education.
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Des in Spain
7:57 pm
Oct 11, 2012
Whilst I do not like what this man has to say, he has a point. As an expatriate South African, It pains me to think that many of the nations he mentions, who MURDERED their indigenous people to take over their land, were the very ones who carried out sanctions against us South Africans who gave black people work and money, and land in THEIR original east of the country. How do they explain 40,000,000 black South Africans in a state just twice the size of Texas, dwarfed by Canada and Australia? We looked after them in hospitals and schools paid for by White and Coloured (brown) peoples’ taxes when just 7.5% of the population – that’s us – paid income tax.
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Geoff
11:55 pm
Nov 22, 2012
OK, but now your people are trying to catch up with the murders. When you are not trying to kill Jews, you are killing each other. Wherever there is conflict in the world today, there you will find muslims. What do they want? They want a world ruled by backward and ignorant clerics under sharia law. If islam is a religion of peace, as they always tell us, why are they intent on killing the Jews and other muslims? Muslims lie to non-believers, in English, about being peaceful, while preaching murder in arabic to their own people. Arafat, always did this. By the way, how much money did he steal from the aid that was sent to help his people?
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