An article in the Economist titled Politics hogs the Olympic spotlight in the Middle East looks at Arab hostility towards Israel in the Olympics, but then becomes guilty of its own charge.
You might think an article in the sports section would reinforce the message of the Olympics and how treatment of the Israeli athletes is unsportsmanlike. But an anti-Israel agenda hogs the article, suggesting that Israel is to blame for bringing on the racism it endures.
The Economist bylines its authors by initials, so the writer is only identified as N.P.
Politics hogs the Olympic spotlight in the Middle East https://t.co/S2UsoWA3mi pic.twitter.com/BuuqJlFTtW
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 15, 2016
Referring to the Egyptian judoka who refused to shake the hand of the Israeli Bronze winner Or Sasson, The Economist callously exploits the Munich Olympics massacre, saying “Mr El Shahaby’s snub seems mere tokenism compared to the bullets that killed 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972,” but “nonetheless” Israel criticized his bad sportsmanship.
Does that mean Israel should just accept the Rio snub simply because it wasn’t murder?
Would The Economist say such a thing about anyone else being targeted for their race, religion or nationality?
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
The article goes on:
Israel’s holier-than-thou protestations, though, risk sounding shrill.
Holier than thou?!
It is not the Israeli athletes who are blocking the Lebanese from sitting on the same bus or dropping out of matches to avoid playing Arabs. It’s the complete opposite. Sasson reached out his hand to his Egyptian opponent in a gesture of respect, and what a message it could have been for Israelis and Egyptians. But just like throughout history, the Arab spurned the Israeli gesture.
Who is Jibril Rajoub?
The article gives as an example of those “shrill,” “holier-than-thou protestations,” complaints against head of Palestinian Olympic Committee Jibril Rajoub.
Yisrael Hayom, Israel’s leading newspaper and a mouthpiece for Mr Netanyahu, gave copious space to a campaign demanding that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) sever ties with Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestine Olympic Committee. A former head of the Palestinian security forces, Mr Rajoub has coordinated closely with Israel in the past. Yet the newspaper called him “a terrorist”.
The Economist cherry-picked only one fact from Israel HaYom: that Rajoub “has coordinated closely with Israel in the past,” referring to his role as head of the Palestinian Preventive Security Force – until 2002. Presumably that must make him above criticism and capable of doing no wrong.
Yet Israel Hayom article gave a much more detailed picture of just who Rajoub is. Here’s what The Economist didn’t say:
• Rajoub is “in favor” of and “encourages” the Palestinian terrorists in the wave of violence over the past year, who he calls “heroes.”
• Consistently honors and glorifies terrorists, congratulating them on Palestinian television.
• Swore that if the Palestinians had nuclear weapons, they would use them immediately against Israel.
• Threatened to keep Israel out of the Olympics.
• Called normalization in sports with Israel a “crime against humanity.”
• Attended a boxing match named for one of the terrorists behind the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics.
• Said that requesting to hold a minute’s silence for the Israeli victims of Munich is racism.
• And said this:
The international community doesn’t accept buses blowing up in Tel Aviv, but it doesn’t question what happens to a settler or a soldier who is in the occupied territories in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one asks about that. Therefore, we want to fight in a way that keeps the international community on our side.
After completely playing down Arab bigotry against Israel in Rio, The Economist article looks at other examples of politics in the Olympics, including how South Africa was kept out from 1964 to 1988, concluding with this:
As Israel builds higher barriers between Jews and Palestinians in areas it occupies, the boycotters find the South Africa analogy particularly apt.
The only barriers Israel builds are to protect innocent people from terrorists. It is the Israeli athletes who bring their country’s spirit of peace, respect and tolerance to the Olympics. And they are the ones singled out for discrimination.
—
Cherry picking facts from another newspaper runs flagrantly afoul of normal journalistic practice. And the idea Israelis should put up with what amounts to racist bigotry because “at least they’re not being killed” wouldn’t be acceptable to any other race, religion, or ethnicity facing similar narrow-minded behavior anywhere. Not at the Olympics, and not in the pages of The Economist.
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Rajoub via YouTube/TAUVOD;
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