Media Fans Flames of Mossad Kiwi Conspiracy
July 20, 2011 14:02 by Simon Plosker
What is it that compels mainstream media outlets to buy into conspiracy theories surrounding the all-powerful hidden hand of the Mossad? Despite the fact that the latest piece of conspiracy journalism from New Zealand has already been investigated and found to be bogus, many media outlets just couldn’t help themselves but to report on a piece of non-news.
Even when Israel is squeaky clean of any accusations hurled at it, the media is still intent on reporting those allegations and the investigations into them rather than the less newsworthy end result. Despite the fact that Israel has been cleared of any wrongdoing, the media has placed the attention on the investigation after the verdict has been delivered.
According to The Guardian:
New Zealand intelligence services launched an investigation into a possible Israeli spy operation in Christchurch after suspicious activity was observed in the immediate aftermath of the February earthquake, the New Zealand prime minister, John Key, has confirmed.
But Key insisted the investigation had been completed with no evidence found of wrongdoing.
So what’s the story here? It says much about the obsessive and demonizing behavior towards Israel that so many media outlets decided to publish outlandish claims concerning the Mossad, focused upon an investigation rather than the disproved results.
As for the story itself, it follows a long line of conspiracy theories ranging from the hateful accusations of Mossad involvement in the 9/11 atrocities to the downright absurd Mossad sharks, vultures and any number of highly trained animals serving Israel’s nefarious aims.
According to New Zealand’s Southland Times, the response of the Israeli government was suspicious following the Christchurch earthquake and the deaths and evacuations of Israeli citizens. Despite the paper making the original allegations, at least the Southland Times updated the story under the headline: “Investigation cleared Israelis of spy claims: PM”. Contrast this with some of the other sensationalist headlines which deliberately leave the story open to interpretation:
- Israeli spy claims over Christchurch earthquake – The Guardian
- Mossad spy ring ‘unearthed because of Christchurch earthquake’ – Daily Telegraph
- Report: NZ quake exposes possible Israeli spy ring – MSNBC
- NZ quake may have revealed Israeli spy ring – CBS News
- Israeli spy killed in Christchurch quake: reports – ABC News
- Report: Israeli killed in NZ quake was suspected spy – USA Today
Contrast these with the more accurate and updated headlines from other media:
- Israeli victim of NZ earthquake not a spy, says PM – Associated Press
- Israelis cleared of spying claims – Canberra Times
Former JPost Executive Editor Amir Mizroch takes apart the Southland Times’s ridiculous allegations:
“The response of the Israeli government to the three deaths appears extraordinary. In the hours after the 6.3 quake struck:
“Prime Minister John Key fielded the first of four calls that day from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” [Maybe Netanyahu wanted to help New Zealand and needed a back-and-forth to figure out exactly what the country needed from Israel; and maybe he was trying to convince Key to let the Israeli search and rescue teams at the site to work to get the Israeli's body after local police at the scene kicked them out; and maybe Netanyahu was worried about the three Israelis who were known to be missing.]
“Israel’s Ambassador in the South Pacific, Shemi Tzur, who is based in Australia, booked flights to Christchurch, where he visited the morgue.” [How terrible of him; how suspicious of him, to want to fly out as soon as is humanly possible to take care of logistics for flying the men home, of being in touch with the families, of being a good Ambassador; oh, and it is considered a duty in Jewish law to sit with the bodies of Jews until they are brought for final burial.]
“Israel’s civil defence chief left Israel for Christchurch.” [Yes, to help the New Zealanders. Israel has the most advanced, skilled and respected civil defense outfit in the world. Way to look a gift horse in the mouth.]
“A complete Israeli urban search and rescue squad was assembled and flown to Christchurch, arriving about the same time as …” [This is what Israeli insurance companies do when Israelis are trapped, missing, or need urgent assistance abroad: they fly in and try help. They don't always wait for the government to approve a mission.]
“Three people who had smashed their way out of a van crushed by a concrete pillar in the central city, leaving a fourth person dead in the vehicle, arrived back in Israel.” [Yes because what they should have done is picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, put it all down to a bit of bad luck, and continued travelling and exploring the beautiful countryside.]
Yes, the response of the Israeli government was ‘extraordinary’ – extraordinary in its compassion for the dead and for the bereaved families, for the religious needs of the victims [it is considered a duty in Jewish law to sit with the bodies of Jews until they are brought for final burial]. Hey Southland Times, Israelis care for their own. We care about foreigners too, which is why our government offered to help, and why we sent our Civil Defense Chief to your earthquake zone – to help.
The Southland Times also alleged that the Israeli earthquake victim was found with as many as five passports on his person. Yet The Guardian reports:
Key said he had been advised that reports of Israeli citizens carrying multiple passports were ill-founded and he was satisfied with police assurances that there had been no unauthorised access to the police computer system.
“The investigations that have been undertaken have been thorough and have found no evidence of a link between the group and Israeli intelligence.” …
Key said the man was found with a European passport. His companions handed over a second passport, his Israeli one, when they left the country.
Even if the Israeli had five passports on him, this is easily explainable. As a nation of many immigrants, large numbers of Israelis have dual nationality and therefore at least two passports. And perhaps the victim may have been keeping the group’s passports together in one place during their travels.
It may very well be that some of the media outlets that have published the story using ambiguous headlines will update them as the hours pass and fresh wire service feeds are checked. Nonetheless what we have seen is a classic example of how a story concerning Israel, later proven to be untrue, spreads throughout the global media in a ‘feeding frenzy’ causing yet more damage to Israel’s image.
As the Scientific American reports:
After people realize the facts have been fudged, they do their best to set the record straight: judges tell juries to forget misleading testimony; newspapers publish errata. But even explicit warnings to ignore misinformation cannot erase the damage done, according to a new study from the University of Western Australia. …
This result shows that “even if you understand, remember and believe the retractions, this misinformation will still affect your inferences,” says Western Australia psychologist Ullrich Ecker, an author of the study.
No doubt this conspiracy will stick around on the Internet no thanks in small part to the many journalists who cannot resist a good conspiracy story involving Israel.
Send your considered comments to your local media if this story is not immediately and definitively clarified.
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Julius Hart
11:23 pm
Jul 20, 2011
Did you guys not read Haaretz yesterday? Why attacking the New Zealand media when this Israeli newspaper started the fire in the first place. You can’t blame New Zealanders because we had a visit from this incompetent bungling organisation Mossad a couple of years ago. They got caught red handed trying to cheat a few passports from mental handicapped people !
Our PM is a secular Jew but already the anti-Semitics having a field day. Thanks Haaretz.
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Phil Did-Dell
11:23 pm
Jul 20, 2011
I’m embrassed to be a Kiwi, it’s about time reporters understood what they are dealing with before travelling down the path of demonizing Israel & her people. A grasp of the culture, a visit to Israel & some well gained insight into Jewish culture & ethics should be complusory before such shocking lies are told by an ill-informed media to an even more gullible uninformed public. Support Israel forever!
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Barbara Moses
11:29 pm
Jul 20, 2011
I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and to say this is a media beat up is an understatement. Perhaps this is minor newspaper editor trying to sell more papers and make his name!
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Teddy Bear
11:43 pm
Jul 20, 2011
Surprised HR never included the BBC on their list – Love the Kiwi fruit inspiration – brilliant.
The story at the BBC, which by the way they feature on their Mid East page ahead of the 10 mourners at a funeral killed by Syrian forces, tells us that New Zealand PM John Key denies Israel spy rumour
Since the rumour is found to be baseless, wouldn’t it be good journalism to identify just who started this rumour – and why?
No mention of this though.
They also include similar points to those mentioned already above, and then we get
the assertion that A New Zealand secret service officer quoted by the country’s Southland Times newspaper said there were fears Israeli agents had hacked into the police national computer after the quake, gaining access to highly sensitive files.
I can’t imagine what interest Israel would have with New Zealand police files, unless they’re funding Islamic terrorists. So what could be highly sensitive? Probably sheep’s testicles.
Then the reader is left hanging with the implication of this accusation for the next 2 sentences which tells us:
Mr Key confirmed reports that he had received several phone calls from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the day of the quake.
He said Mr Netanyahu had expressed condolences and offered help in trying to locate Israeli citizens who had died.
Before they come back and inform the reader.
Mr Key said there had been no unauthorised access to the police computer system.
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The Whyman
12:12 am
Jul 21, 2011
No matter there you go in the globe, the media trips over themselves to colour Israel in a bad light- there is a reason for this.
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Anonymous
5:57 am
Jul 21, 2011
Yes, in my view, the reason being that Israel is a Democracy, and by its very essence as the Jewish Homeland, respects freedom, and the Human Rights of individuals to express their opinions with impunity. The same cannot be said, very regrettably of Arab states and Institutions. It is much easier to take on a Free society than “explore” the various wrongs, human rights violations, civil violations, implacable racist and anti-semitic outpourings that is the social discourse in these countries. It takes a very courageous individual to point out that Jews, Christians and all non-Muslims are by nature suspect, barred, and persecuted in Arablands, never mind the same being done to the Arab Peoples themselves.
Thus, we live in a culture where people with access to extremely important institutions exercise their innate human rights to be Cowards, believe in Cowardice, and live by the code of Cowards, whereby the bullies, anti-semites, racists, and envious are left alone, while the Free are under systematic, non-ending attack.
May the free not also perish as a result of the actions of the cowards.
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HaroldT
12:29 am
Jul 21, 2011
Why does the Israeli government not sue these newspapers for defamation?Many are so blatently false and anti-semitic that a case must surely resolve in favour of Israel.
When it comes to public relations the politician’s are such wimps!
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SM ISAC
1:41 am
Jul 21, 2011
I would not call Israeli politicians wimps at all! But you may have a point as I also feel frustrated about it. Perhaps they are too busy dealing with more serious life-death threats.
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» Media Fans Flames of Mossad Kiwi Conspiracy Freedom Alert!: Defending American Freedom by exposing Radical Islam, Socialist, Liberals, and all the Enemies of Freedom, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness!
3:02 am
Jul 21, 2011
[...] article can be viewed at Media Fans Flames of Mossad Kiwi Conspiracy on [...]
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Mike
3:18 am
Jul 21, 2011
Great article.
It defies credibility that Mossad would ever dream of wasting time considering NZ (or Australia for that matter) for any operations.
What is there worthwhile to check out-the milking output of the cattle industry,perhaps?
There is admittedly a small Moslem population in NZ,maybe 1%,but their activities could be easily monitored by internet,if thought necessary.
This whole silly episode was also highlighted in Australia by one TV station (SBS),which only showed their desperation to find some sensational story.Also of course , their remarkable small mindedness.
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Michael Darby
7:05 am
Jul 21, 2011
The Israeli Government, and individual Israelis, as a matter of course help their friends in time of need. Another example of a very helpful small nation is Taiwan ROC.
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Mike
7:12 am
Jul 21, 2011
The press has an anti-Israel (i.e. anti-semitic) leaning that compels them to accept any slander or lie about Israel/Jews. That is what perpetuates the Arab/Muslim propensity to tell even the most absurd and outrages lies knowing the press and many politicians will give it some merit and acceptance. If the press governments were to call these slanders and lies for what they are it might lessen the Arab/Muslim propensity to tell these lies, though they do have trouble with the truth.
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Fred
8:31 am
Jul 21, 2011
We support Israel and never believe the media. The media will not report what happens in the Muslim countries. WE LOVE ISRAEL.
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chris dekker
8:52 am
Jul 21, 2011
We in the uk have just had a meda scandal about hacking. The papers have a duty to report what is truthfull + not make up stories that can only defame others. Take them to court so that they must supply proof of this rubbish. Chris.
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Theresa
9:41 am
Jul 21, 2011
Quote from to-day’s NZ news,
‘Key also told reporters, intelligence officials were in a high state of excitement when the Israelis fled. They immediately suspected mossad’s involvement.’
This excitement came from the same SIS bunch who were found to be lacking in the appointment of Stephen Wilce, NZ Defence Technology Agency boss. Years after appointing Wilce to the position he was found to be a ‘Walter Mitty’ without qualifications and totally delusional. His repetoire of delusions included ‘representing the Olympic UK team in toboganning and being acquainted with the underdog Caribbean team who made everyone smile. Other achievements included an important role in the UK submarine programme. What’s even murkier is that Wilce represented NZ at overseas conferences on military matters. As the boss of this division he was granted a large amount of money to attend an extended course in defence matters on site in the UK, all paid for by the unsuspecting taxpayer. Not even an episode of ‘Allo, Allo’ could raise as much laughter. And so the plid thockens….
As for false passports. For 3 years Achmed Zaoui, an Algerian,who sought asylum on a false South African passport which was disposed of down the airline toilet fought to stay in the country. He had already been refused by EU countries. After a cost of 3 million dollars to the NZ taxpayer and together with the support of some Dominican friars he was allowed to remain and brought his family in from Malaysia. He now owns a kebab caravan and croons away to his customers. False passport syndrome never mentioned.
Southland is also the home of the Turkish kebab shop owner who refused an Israeli young woman and her Israeli/Kiwi sister, service after hearing them speak Hebrew. Above all, the results of the NZ Herald poll yesterday said it all. More than 75% of the pollsters said that it was a Mossad affair with the 25% against. Will they be apologising, nope…..
If a UK teenager sitting in his bedroom at home can hack into the Pentagon computers, well it doesn’t take a technical wiz to do the same to the NZ system, ask Julian Assange from WikiLeaks.
To the young Israelis who acted responsibly, decisively and according to ‘the operations manual’ of emergency situations, you are to be commended. You deserve apologies and to the family of their deceased friend, RIP Ofer. Will be remembered.
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Bernie
10:39 am
Jul 21, 2011
Has this anything to do with the fukari tribe?When they were lost in the Australian outback
they called out ‘where the fukari’.
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Mossad KiwiLeaks und Verschwörungstheorien « Medien BackSpin
2:42 pm
Jul 21, 2011
[...] Ein ausführlicher Beitrag von Simon Plosker hier. [...]
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James Murray
1:49 am
Jul 22, 2011
To be honest I think the problem is not with anyone trying to demonise Israel in the NZ media, I work in the media here and have never met anyone with that sort of agenda. It’s just not the way things work. The problem occurs because of the way rolling news works nowadays. The article above contrasts headlines at the beginning of the day with headlines at the end of the day when the story was very different. Where I work – we reported what the Southland Times had alleged, and then reported what John Key said later in the day. You could easily pick headlines off our site and try to show some sort of bias but what you would actually be showing is how a story develops over a day.
Because a big story like this is clearly going to be covered by a lot of news organisations a great deal of trust goes into the original story and the source that came from. An SIS investigation into the leak is now underway and we will also report on that. I doubt Tullett will reveal his source and he doesnt have to unless it is a matter of national security – which according to Key this isn’t. Although I wonder if he could be pressured here if a potential SIS leak was to be considered strong enough to force him to reveal.
The problem here is not anti-Israeli bias – this sort of reporting could have occurred for all sorts of different events – it is the nature of the way today’s news media works – with websites and 24 hour news outlets updating stories as they unfold.
We can either do two things as a society and as the media – gain more understanding that news stories are dynamic rather than always complete. Or get rid of the concept of rolling and breaking news – and only report on stories once every shred of information about them is available – this has some merit I think (and I work as an online editor!) but you have to decide where to draw the line.
This particular story was not helped by Key fluffing it in the morning and making it seem like there was something to hide. If the Government had been open about the investigation in the first place I doubt this would have occurred.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Teddy Bear
7:39 pm
Jul 22, 2011
James, since I haven’t read the NZ Southland Times articles I can’t say whether they were or weren’t trying to demonize Israel. However there are a few issues connected to this story that point to extreme prejudice and some kind of ‘racism’ starting with the New Zealand authorities, and then on to the international media that look for any opportunity to demonize Israel to show the Muslims how much of a friend they are to them.
If you imagine yourself on holiday in the States with some mates when you are hit by a lethal tornado which kills several of your friends. The survivors decide there’s no desire any more to continue your sightseeing tour and just want to get home back to your families.
You must agree that this is in NO WAY suspicious, and would be expected by any rational normal human being. In fact it would be more suspicious if the group decided to continue their vacation.
Yet here somebody decided to view this event in the most sinister way possible, and the newspaper in NZ didn’t comment on this paranoia, but treated it as justified.
That’s the problem with the NZ article and authorities. Also were you aware from the reports you read at the time that Netanyahu offered aid to the New Zealand authorities following the earthquake. This is from the MFA website at the time of the incident.
Israel expresses condolences on New Zealand earthquake, offers aid
22 Feb 2011
FM Avigdor Liberman spoke with his New Zealand counterpart Murray McCully.
(Communicated by the Foreign Minister’s Bureau)
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman spoke with New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. He expressed the condolences of Israel at the most recent earthquake disaster in Christchurch and offered Israeli aid.
The anti-Israel bias illustrated by the article above refers more to how the international media picked up and ran the article.
You seem like a reasonable guy, and somewhere you have to be a bit disgusted by your own authorities for subjecting this Israeli group to this kind of pressure after they survived what they did, and the way they skewed an honest appraisal of these events – which frankly IS BIAS.
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How not to report on Israel (and how it can be done correctly) | Anne's Opinions
11:39 am
Jul 22, 2011
[...] Honest Reporting gives us a comprehensive list of all the news outlets reporting and editorializing on this issue. As for the story itself, it follows a long line of conspiracy theories ranging from the hateful accusations of Mossad involvement in the 9/11 atrocities to the downright absurd Mossad sharks, vultures and any number of highly trained animals serving Israel’s nefarious aims. [...]
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Brian Metcalf
2:10 pm
Jul 22, 2011
MOSSADMANIA !
The flipside to the “Israeli conspiracy theories” is that ever since the Munich Olympics sequel and the Entebbe airport raid everyone has come to have a grudging respect – even admiration – for the audacity and effectiveness of the Israeli secret service.
This typical fuss over the young Israeli backpackers reflects this. The media here is on tenterhooks whenever “Israel” is mentioned and its undisguised attempts at blacking the character of the country is a dead ringer for paranoia. These guys are actually fearful of what Israel might be up to, of what it is capable of. After all Mossad has been accused of practicing witchcraft and of training sharks to attack, and eagles to spy on, Arabs. Is there any limit to the depths to which it will not stoop?
Join the BDS Israel Demonisation Conspiracy and you can share the fear with the whole of the Muslim World. Ho-ho. Strength in numbers.
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Anonymuos
5:53 am
Jul 24, 2011
You forget to mention – Mossad also has the capabilities of growing the greatest bumpkins in the Middle East – through the secret use of Organic Cow Dung, imported from India (hence the Secret ‘rapprochements’ ongoing, pour-parles, with that state). It is secretly coded “Zionist Pumkins” and through hermetical invocation, enables the eater of the said pumpkin, to see protect the domicile from incoming inclement weather – even – some have been known to “sense” when an earthquake is eminent. Now THAT, is power!!!!!!
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Brian Metcalf
2:16 pm
Jul 22, 2011
Michael
You are clearly very het up about the NZ media over this latest Israeli Conspiracy and I can understand that. The press here is always on the lookout for “breaking news” with all its attendant excitement and possibilities for being blown up into a worldwide scandal (perhaps taking the heat off Rupert for a few hours ! ) All I can say is ‘don’t worry”. I have seen this all before over the real Mossad agents and their false Kiwi passports. People kind of expect that any Israeli visitor could be a potential spy. These young people were visiting backpackers for Godsake !
Netanyahu phoning from Israel about them? Why not? He was personally concerned about their welfare (as Key would’ve been be if the roles were reversed. We are both small countries where the politicians are far closer to the public).
Five passports? Muslim countries do not allow Jews or Israelis entrance on an Israeli passport or any passport that has been franked with an Israel Visitor Stamp. Israelis tend to use any other passport that they are entitled to (just like Americans tend to use UK or Canadian passports to avoid unpleasantness from the Muslim authorities.
This will all blow over and be “old hat” by the end of July. Guarantee it.
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simonnz
2:20 am
Jul 23, 2011
There’s no smoke without fire. The reason the New Zealand and international media are so suspicious is because Israeli Mossad agents were caught, convicted and sentenced to prison for trying to fraudulently obtain New Zealand passports in 2005. Funny how this seems to have been forgotten in all the protestations of Israel’s innocence.
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Teddy Bear
1:16 am
Jul 24, 2011
Simonnz you need to get your facts straight.
First you should understand the difference between allegations/suspicions and PROOF.
According to Wikipedia under the title of 2004 Israel – New Zealand spy scandal, almost exactly 7 years ago in 2004 – (not 2005), several Israelis were involved in trying to obtain a NZ passport under false pretences. While some believed they were involved with Mossad there was no proof to this effect. What was admitted was this
Kelman and Cara, who denied membership in Mossad but plead guilty to trying to enter the country illegally and working with organized criminal gangs, were sentenced to six months in jail. They were also ordered to pay US $32,500 to a cerebral palsy charity because they tried to collect a passport in the name of a wheelchair-using cerebral palsy victim. After serving either two or three months they were deported. Cara, who visited New Zealand 24 times between October 2000 and March 2005, claims he was working as a travel agent.
Maybe a country of 268,000sq km with only a population of 4.4 million (compared to UK = 244,000 and population around 60million, and Israel with an area of 20,700sq km and population of @7 million) is pretty limited in its world view, especially an island as remote as New Zealand. So perhaps it’s natural to try and explain things in the simplest of terms to try and understand them since imagination might well be lacking. You couldn’t understand why criminals would want to obtain a fake passport, so it had to be Mossad. Or else your authorities want to believe they are clever enough to catch spies with the reputation held by Mossad.
Frankly I can’t understand what Mossad would want with New Zealand (yawn), and am fairly confident if they wanted a fake passport to use in any of their international spy operations they are quite capable of forging them adeptly. For sure with many Israelis holding dual nationality I doubt a real Mossad agent would even let it be known that he was Israeli. So maybe you should start thinking that your government is seeing ‘spooks under the bed’ instead of loose springs.
On the other hand, if any country would be justified in being paranoid it would be Israel. But as the saying goes, ‘you’re not paranoid if they really are out to get you’.
In any event, regardless EVEN if they were REAL MOSSAD AGENTS, do you really think it justifies suspicion about another group of Israelis 7 years later who wanted to leave right after several of their group were killed in an earthquake? Imagine your mother being treated with suspicion and making headline news just because she cuddles a baby? After all Minnie Dean, the only woman to be hanged in NZ was found guilty of infanticide.
Try and see a bigger picture.
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Anonymous
5:55 am
Jul 24, 2011
You OMITTED (as usual), to mention that there was criminal element involved…
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Teddy Bear
3:34 pm
Jul 24, 2011
What don’t you understand about Kelman and Cara, who denied membership in Mossad but plead guilty to trying to enter the country illegally and working with organized criminal gangs, were sentenced to six months in jail. They were also ordered to pay US $32,500 to a cerebral palsy charity because they tried to collect a passport in the name of a wheelchair-using cerebral palsy victim. ?
No wonder you have a problem understanding what is really going on. Next time ask somebody to explain it to you first so you don’t waste anybody else’s time.
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