Ha’aretz Apartheid Clarification: Too Little, Too Late

October 29, 2012 14:22 by

Foreign Press Promotes the Slander: A Case Study in Ha’aretz-Led Bias

Of course, every anti-Israel website on the Internet picked up Gideon Levy’s original article. Interestingly, the US mainstream media did not run the story, possibly as a result of the speed with which Levy’s analysis was debunked before American print deadlines.

Consistent with the nasty anti-Israel bias displayed on an almost daily basis, the UK media went straight for the jugular. Unsurprisingly, The Guardian came up with an almost identical headline to Ha’aretz: “Israeli poll finds majority in favour of ‘apartheid’ policies“.

Not only did Harriet Sherwood parrot Gideon Levy’s faulty conclusions but she also added her own twist. Despite the poll findings that the majority of Israelis were opposed to annexing the West Bank, including settlements, she stated:

Talk of the possible annexation of the West Bank, or the main settlement blocks within it, has increased in recent months as expectations of a negotiated settlement to the conflict have sunk to an all-time low. Israel’s defence minister, Ehud Barak, recently argued for the annexation of land between the internationally recognised Green Line and the Israeli-built separation barrier.

The Daily Telegraph also came up with the following misleading headline: “Israelis favour discrimination against Arabs – poll“.

In Canada, the Globe and Mail published the story under the headline: “Many Israeli Jews support apartheid-style state, poll suggests“.

Rarely will the international media produce an exclusive story from Israel. The Ha’aretz English edition is the newspaper of choice for most of the foreign press corps in Jerusalem and it’s where the journalists find their most critical stories on Israel.

Ha’aretz has an even greater responsibility to publish fair and accurate news and opinion in the knowledge that it’s content will be used around the globe. That Ha’aretz has a relatively low circulation in Israel does not impact the foreign press from treating Ha’aretz as the Israeli paper of note.

In this case, clearly those journalists who reported Levy’s faulty analysis were not prepared to do any fact checking for themselves, preferring to take Levy’s word as read. This, despite Levy’s reputation as a radical and unrepresentative of any mainstream opinion.

Those foreign media outlets that published Levy’s slander should issue their own corrections and clarifications. Sadly, however, thanks to Gideon Levy and Ha’aretz, the damage has already been done.

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43 Comments

43 Comments → “Ha’aretz Apartheid Clarification: Too Little, Too Late”

  1. Hello

    6:01 am

    Oct 30, 2012

    To all of you:

    Want to make a difference?

    You can do it, in just 5 or 10 minutes.

    Don’t just complain about dishonest hatemonger Gideon Levy and how disgusting Haaretz is for publishing stuff like this.

    We all have to actively INVESTIGATE which other reporters and which other media outlets actually quote Gideon Levy and Haaretz as a source. Simply do twitter searches (search for “all” not just “top results) and Google News searches, and send messages at reporters showing honestreporting and camera explanations as to how Levy is evil and why they should never trust or quote Haaretz.

    Do this, REGULARLY! It’s easy and IMPORTANT.

    Well-loved. Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 24 Thumb down 2

    Reply
  2. David

    7:22 am

    Oct 30, 2012

    While we must respect what Mr Gidon Levy had to say, I ask him why is he living in Israel ? His ultra radical left wing comments are Are just as
    bad ad the ultra Right wing racists. He is actually
    creating reverse racism against Jews and Israel!

    Well-loved. Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 23 Thumb down 3

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    • rami de lieme

      6:24 pm

      Nov 05, 2012

      Gideon Levy is living in the chique neighbourhood of Sheinkin street without any Arab neighbours

      Well-loved. Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0

      Reply
  3. martin

    2:10 pm

    Oct 30, 2012

    With respects to the above. There are a number of various NGO’s all left wing organisations in Israel, which have the sole intention of discrediting Israel in any and all manners possible.
    I am unsure whether the Naturei Karta can be called left or not. But they are nutters in any case. No we are communicating about these organisations which are funded by the EU, seperate countries and their own NGOs, various UN sections and even possibly from Arab states.
    The sooner these organisations are ordered to open their accounts and show where their funding comes from the better. Of course, some funding might come from a mailbox only to disguise/hide the original contributor.

    Well-loved. Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0

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  4. martin

    2:15 pm

    Oct 30, 2012

    As a democracy, Israel has no choice but to allow these farleft Jew hating Jews remain in Israel. Except when they travel to Lebanon etc, or if they are caught and placed on trial for treason. There again, many argue that Peres, Beilin etc all architects should have been placed on trial for at least direct communicating with the enemy when it was illegal.
    It is time for the tuth to be out and open to scrutiny.

    Just look at those Israelis who were involved in Oslo and their Communist Norwegian “friends”, many of whom have called for the dissolutuion of Israel to be replaced with a secular democratic state of Palestine. And our “brass” actually met with them?? Disgraceful treachoury.

    Well-loved. Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 2

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  5. Ken

    3:52 pm

    Oct 30, 2012

    Here’s a just move for Israel: Annex Judea and Samaria to complete the restored homeland of the Jews. Transfer them all to any Arab countries, then they won’t need the right to vote in Israel. They’ve invaded Israel over a hundred years ago and belong to the neighboring Arab countries, from which they were brought by the Turks and the British.

    Well-loved. Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 1

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  6. [...] • After Gideon Levy’s apartheid survey slander, it’s time for him to go: Haaretz’s “clarification” is too little too late. [...]

    Well-loved. Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 1

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  7. avraham

    7:16 pm

    Oct 30, 2012

    there is not anyone hating and damaging israeli image than gideon levi. if this country would act as the USA he would be in jail from long ago.
    bottom line – who loves israel (haaretz) does not read or buy the haaretz!!!!

    Well-loved. Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 2

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  8. [...] Articolo originale qui [...]

    Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

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  9. [...] • The Times of Israel takes an impressively in-depth look at Haaretz’s discredited apartheid survey. [...]

    Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1

    Reply
  10. [...] Zeit nach Aufdeckung des unprofessionell und unethischen Stücks Journalismus von Haaretz, das in verfälschender Weise die Ergebnisse einer Umfrage als Beleg für israelische Apartheid uminterpretierte, schrieb [...]

    Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

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  11. [...] muss der Globe & Mail Rezept dafür zollen, dass sie die “Klarstellung” von Haaretz zu deren hässlicher Apartheid-Umfrage aufgegriffen hat. Meines Wissens ist [...]

    Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

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  12. Ed Frias

    10:58 pm

    Nov 08, 2012

    Good article which shows in detail the hatred Gideon Levy has for Jews.
    Read the comment sections after the article.
    They show what a nutjob and an Arab terrorist apologist Levy is.

    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/161851#.UJwcYofAedJ
    Gideon Levi: I Hate ‘Settlers,’ and I’m Proud of It
    Veteran Ha’aretz editor Gideon Levi talked about his feelings about the Jews of Judea and Samaria. Bottom line: Levi hates them.
    David Lev
    11/8/2012

    Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1

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  13. Dany

    7:43 am

    Nov 09, 2012

    I pity empty souls like Gideon Levy, his obsession with settlers hate shows all over his façade, he should consult a psychiatrist, it could have been a case of a terrible childhood, failures at school, lack of proper friendships, etc.. etc.. etc.

    Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2

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  14. Ed Frias

    3:23 pm

    Nov 09, 2012

    When the Fogel massacre happened last year and Levy knew it was Palestinians who committed the massacre, Levy reported about the Japan Earthquake instead.
    We all know this was diversion to the atrocities the Palestinians committed at Itamar.
    As post number 23 said, Gideon Is writing about Japan an excuse to avoid writing about the murder of Israeli children who are the victims you should be talking about
    By zionist forever 14 Mar 2011
    http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/japan-a-nation-of-calm-amid-a-flurry-of-catastrophes-1.349020

    Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1

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  15. martin

    7:59 pm

    Nov 09, 2012

    Thanks for the above Ed. This man is another Jew hating Jew. His Jewishness means nothing to him, as a communist, he follows in the traditions of all the other communist Jews. Marx, is the perfect example. Of course, the newspaper itself is trying to buildup its readership by employing such nonsense.

    The reverse is happening. I never look ar HaAretz, as I share none of its Israel hating dogma. Another reason why its readership continues to plummet. Just look at Ma ariv today!

    Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1

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  16. [...] much pressure and deserved scrutiny by our international affiliate HonestReporting.com, other pro-Israel organizations, [...]

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  17. [...] an outcry over the article, Haaretz was forced to issue a clarification stating that the original headline did not accurately reflect the findings of the poll and amended [...]

    Agree or Disagree: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

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  18. South African

    12:21 am

    Feb 17, 2013

    Mandela from south africa was known as a terrorist .All blacks in south africa were known as terrorist.As a south african we were brain washed by the white government that blacks were terrorist. Mandela sacrificed his whole life for a peace full change in south africa.
    Mandela’s freedom, set free society at whole .He sat with his oppressors and negotiated a better life for the whole off south africa .
    Gideon Levy loves his jewish family and friends ,He wants to set them free by listening to the other side and creating long term peace, harmony and justice amongs humanity.Gideon sees,what the average jewish citizen does not understand .love unconditionally + justice +fairness,love,love,

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