Five Media Spins to Watch for During Obama Visit
March 20, 2013 17:40 by Alex Margolin
With President Barack Obama touching down in Jerusalem for his first official visit to Israel, the Middle East is once again the top story in the international press.
While most media reports ahead of the visit noted the Obama administration’s desire to “reboot” relations between the US and Israel, there are a number of issues that often come up whenever some of media report on Israel in the diplomatic arena.
The following are five of the main media spins to watch for in coverage of the Obama visit.
1. Settlements are the biggest obstacle to peace.
One of the most persistent media themes since the early days of the Obama administration is that the peace process has stalled because Israel refuses to stop building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
The idea gained steam in Obama’s first year as president and the media has maintained the narrative ever since. Often ignored is the fact that Israel implemented a 10-month freeze of settlement activity – and the fact that it failed to make any impact on peace talks. The AP got the facts straight, however, noting that the Palestinians did not take advantage of the freeze.
The claim that Israel is responsible for the impasse, however, is likely to show up in coverage of Obama’s visit. Reviews of Israeli-US relations during the Obama years are likely to discuss settlements as a cause of friction between the allies, strongly implying that peace talks have been on hold because of Israel’s refusal to implement a freeze.
But as Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal aptly put it, the issue is largely beside the point.
I’d like to hear the president tell Palestinians during his visit to Bethlehem that what really stands between them and a state isn’t Israel or its settlements. Israel dismantled its settlements in Sinai for the sake of peace with Egypt, and dismantled them again in Gaza in the interests of disengaging from the restive coastal strip. Most Israelis would gladly do so again for the sake of a real peace with the Palestinians.
2. Israel isn’t interested in peace.
Another theme that has appeared repeatedly in the news for the past few years is the claim that Israelis no longer care about peace with the Palestinians, either because life in Israel is just fine without it or because Israel is simply not prepared to make the sacrifices that would be required.
The issue was most prominently expressed in Time magazine in 2010 and has appeared, in various forms and with some regularity, ever since.
What tends to be missing in media accounts of Israeli attitudes towards peace is the status of the peace partner. Israeli opinion polls consistently show that Israelis support efforts to reach a genuine and stable peace, but don’t believe that there are prospects for an enduring peace with the Palestinians on the horizon.
As Bret Stephens stated in the op-ed quoted above, there is good reason for the Israeli skepticism:
Israelis can have no confidence in such a peace so long as Palestinians elect Hamas to power, cheer the rocketing of Israeli cities, insist on a “right of return” to Tel Aviv and Haifa, play charades at the U.N., refuse to negotiate directly with Israel, and raise their children on a diet of anti-Semitic slurs. In his 2009 speech in Cairo, Mr. Obama spoke the truth about the Arab world’s Holocaust denial. He shouldn’t deprive his Palestinian audience of a similar dose of truth-telling, least of all in Bethlehem.
Watch for news reports that place the full responsibility for the stalled peace process on Israel. If the media fail to take into account the lack of effort on the other side, they are perpetuating a distorted picture of the region.
3. The new Israeli government isn’t a peace partner.
Although the new Israeli government has been in power for only one day before Obama’s visit and contains more moderates than the government it replaces, media reports are likely to focus on the policies of its most hawkish members – and to suggest that it’s not a government suited to peace with the Palestinians.
Indeed, it is a government that was elected for a decidedly domestic agenda, not for diplomacy.
And the government is still headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly been maligned as being uninterested in peace despite numerous statements to the contrary.
The Washington Post offers a subtle illustration.
After quoting Netanyahu’s conciliatory statements to the Palestinians during the swearing in ceremony for his new government, the paper immediately casts doubt on prospects for peace.
“With a Palestinian partner that is ready to conduct negotiations in good faith, Israel will be ready for a historic compromise that will end the conflict with the Palestinians once and for all,” Netanyahu [said].
Still, key positions in his new government are held by strong backers of Israeli settlement in the West Bank, an issue that has stymied efforts to restart peace negotiations.
The paper follows with a list of past statements from members of the government in support of settlements.
Too often, the media gives the impression that Netanyahu’s peace statements are not genuine. The same level of critique, however, is never applied to his Palestinian counter-parts.
a jew whose nose was broken by prohitler muslims
9:53 pm
Mar 22, 2013
hey, I am not and nowhere upheaving to injustified violence to anyone — to anyone who does not exempt violence (of extreme kind) unto any others. Period. This phrase has its logical cohesion. I’d strongly say.
You gotta step over some personal quarries sometimes, — BUT ONLY there, where the other one with whom you had a row, is REALLY okay, in the BIG sense.
until the end of jiang zemin’s rule in china, china’s government was not okay. by far not. it was and largely still is NAZI. NAZI. I hope all non-Jews who come here to read, know, what “NAZI” means: ALSO THEIR death.
so if we jews are defeated, the real devil will enter this world: then, death to all people will be. that is so.:\
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a jew whose nose was broken by prohitler muslims
9:57 pm
Mar 22, 2013
that is my “propehcy” as opposed to some ridiculous christian fanatic sudo-”religious” site called “whyisrael DOT org”, who make totally ridiculous claims which no one who has a brain and uses it will ever take serious. it’s drastic, what rubbish all exists on the net. “whyisrael”? because christians have no say there, nor muslims (should, but do, sadly).
Not STUPID DUMB ULTRA-ORTHODOX, but
SECULAR Jews have to rule ISRAEL, MY COUNTRY !!!
Netanjahu does NOT, as other jews told me, “listen, have to listen” to ORTHODOX jews’ voices in politics. For me, they have NO voice. Period. Here, I’m a bigot. I don’t change my attitude.
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a jew whose nose was broken by prohitler muslims
10:44 pm
Mar 22, 2013
And don’t get me wrong either: Those christians at “whyisrael” are only nice, because they seem to “have other plans” for Israel. I clearly don’t trust them.
The Christian support for Israel is mostly reasonable, and not based on religious fanatical institutions at all.
BUT there are some “side-liners”, side-phenomenons, which display themselves here as this ludicrous “whyisrael DOT org”, I don’t know where THEY those people that do this site there, stem from, what they are and want.
Only a secular, traditional, but not overly for religion caring Jew may rule Israel. Golda and Bibi and Benny were all that. Golda wasn’t as bourgeouis as Ben Gurion, but he was less than ROBESPIERRE .\\\ HA
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Liz
2:16 pm
Mar 28, 2013
As a Christian, the only plans I have for Isreal is one of a continued,(God willing) support and Love. The Bible tells us that God loves his people Isreal and has an everlasting covenant with them. God has given me and many,many believers a heart for Israel, and we only ever,desire that his people will return to him and accept that yeshua is Isreals Messiah……( there is no hidden agenda) the book of Isaiah gives us the revelation of who Isreals messiah, will be-Isaiah 9:6-7:
For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this……..May the Lord bless and protect you. Amen.
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a jew whose nose was broken by prohitler muslims
11:14 pm
Mar 22, 2013
Also, what seems important regarding US-Israel relationships also on the “low” level of not only normal, but (“)ALTERNATIVE(“) People:
Some “alternative” Dude told me lately, “Alex Jones is A ZIONIST”, to which I replied in nice fashion, that other one even having told me before of his clearly Jewish ancestry: “Ah, that’s only the good American instict to protect ISRAEL, you know.” By that alone, I totally put him OUT of his CLOUDS. When I told him I KNOW ALL bout ALEX JONES (“an all”), he looked around the soundcave we were in and seemed to severely doubt some or even most of his colleagues who seemed to have told him I knew nothing.
that IS the way (truth&love) you prevent new fascism
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a jew whose nose was broken by prohitler muslims
11:19 pm
Mar 22, 2013
At the same time, almost, already since years, or, only at his beginnings and mid-phases, Alex Jones put out TERRIBLE antisemitic-SEEMING (!) “docus”, in which he SLAMMED KISSINGER, GREENSPAN.
He should more speak about that AARON RUSSO, who did a VIDEO INTERVIEW in which Russo REALLY politely, but descidly STOOD AGAINST that ALSO LIKE RUSSO HIMSELF JEWISH head of the IRS, the US “internal revenue service”, which is a two-faced org:
It DOES on one side ACT HIGHESTLY abusively and is a half CRIMINAL org, stealing money by actually illegal, direct and unapportioned direct income taxes, which are prohibited by the very first few amendments of the US constitution.
IRS takes Jews on purpose.!
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a jew whose nose was broken by prohitler muslims
11:23 pm
Mar 22, 2013
also, I heard a rumour which is of course maybe not even half true, nevermind bout that, cuz if its only a quarter true, it’s still NOT bad AT ALL:
da IRS is SENDING MONEY to ISRAEL. FOR THAT, I SALUTE the IRS.
But there MUST be fair ways, by which the SAME revenue (profit) can be made — in order ta REALLY use money for GOOD, FOR REALLY TRULY non-corrupt, humanitarian purposes, which are transparently monitored by any individual who wants to check on that directly online. Not only stupid TV cameras. I want all online. Médecins sans frontières protected by online cams. BAM.
any bad stuff happens, and we help. WE ARE the world. That vid, song, was often ridiculed. its’a good song. ! V4USA.
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motti
1:21 pm
Mar 24, 2013
Jew, I trust that when the bully’s broke your nose, that you gave a good kicking to their bollocks, as I used to do. It never stopped, the bullying, but they knew, the first few would be hurt, one was sent to hospital with his bollocks in a twist!
Another Jew
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Mr. Light-Bright
4:19 am
Mar 26, 2013
I must say I have my doubts on the comment made under this article (and I quote): “SECULAR Jews have to rule ISRAEL”
When was it that there was a purely (lets say at least 90%) secular government, that did fairly well in their country’s history?¿……
The answer is: NEVER. They were all @%&*’d up. Secular governments fair worst because there is no higher law to keep them accountable.
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Irv Dain
6:19 pm
Apr 01, 2013
Obama is no friend of Israel
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Steve Goldstein
9:31 pm
Apr 02, 2013
You guys are asleep — Obama was being welcomed weeks ago, this is still your lead piece. And you call yourselves a newsy site?
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