On Tuesday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu toured the eastern security fence currently under construction along the length of the Jordanian border. He took the opportunity to announce plans to surround Israel with further fences to ensure its security, particularly at a time when Islamic State is drawing closer to its borders as well as the threat of Hamas terrorism.
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Peter Beaumont of The Guardian, began his report with the following:
Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has announced his intention to “surround all of Israel with a fence” to protect the country from infiltration by both Palestinians and the citizens of surrounding Arab states, whom he described as “wild beasts”.
Later he writes:
Netanyahu’s use of the phrase “wild beasts” – also translated as “predators” – recalled his use of equally incendiary language about Israeli Arabs on the eve of last year’s elections whom he described as “coming out in droves”.
There is nothing to suggest that Netanyahu was referring to Palestinians or the citizens of surrounding Arab states as “wild beasts” or any other potential translation from the original Hebrew. Beaumont, in a breathtaking example of editorializing, has taken Netanyahu’s statements and forced them into his own narrow conception of the Israeli PM as a racist.
Netanyahu said, as quoted in Ynet News:
“Ultimately, the State of Israel as I see it will have a fence that surrounds it entirely,” added Netanyahu regarding criticism of continuing the various fortifications and barriers. “They’ll say to me, ‘this is what you want to do, protect the villa?’ The answer is yes. Will we surround the entirety of the State of Israel with a fence and obstacles? The answer is yes. In the environment in which we live, we must protect ourselves from the predators.”
Haaretz translated in similar fashion, “we must defend ourselves against the wild beasts,” while the Jerusalem Post referred to just “beasts.”
The Times of Israel wrote:
“In our neighborhood, we need to protect ourselves from the carnivorous animals,” Netanyahu said in an apparent reference to extremist Islamist movements.
Clearly, within the context of the building of security fences, the threat of ISIS on Israel’s borders as well as Hamas terrorists looms large.
Beaumont has let his own prejudices towards Netanyahu interfere with accurately reporting the facts.
Yet another example of the inherent bias demonstrated by The Guardian and its journalists who wish to misrepresent Israel, its government and its people.
Please raise Peter Beaumont’s distorted facts and opinions disguised as news with The Guardian’s readers’ editor Chris Elliott – [email protected]
