Thursday, May 20, 2010

Obama More Plausible in Hebrew

Haaretz continues its mad rush from Israel's most serious newspaper to its most laughable. Today's' exhibit is its report on a meeting two days ago between Obama and 37 Jewish lawmakers, most of them Democrats. If you read Haaretz in English, it was a pleasant affair, at which the president made assuring noises about his administration's commitment to Israel etc etc etc. Here, see for yourself.

If however you read the Hebrew side of Haaretz, the meeting was more interesting. Obama admitted that he had made mistakes in how he approached negotiations for peace in the region, Joe Lieberman and perhaps others told him to his face that he needed to do things otherwise, and so on. Here, see for yourself.

Now since Haaretz never thought Obama was making any mistakes unless perhaps that he wasn't being forceful enough against Israel, it's easy to see why they'd now downplay any backtracking he might make. Yet the downplaying didn't happen in their Hebrew side - perhaps because they knew the meeting was going to make front-page news in some of the Hebrew-language newspapers, as it indeed did.

I wish I could cancel my subscription to the paper, but we already have.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Having been through the cancelling conundrum myself I think I just had an idea:

our newspapers offer 2 weeks for free trial subscriptions after which you either cancel or become a subscriber
- how about making their computer go gaga with taking advantage of whatever similar system they have (if they do)
- a simple misspelling of first name or so sometimes is already sufficient to outsmart their programs but not any human being.

Silke

Unknown said...

'I wish I could cancel my subscription to the paper, but we already have.'

I still can. But what newspaper do you subscribe to now?

The Hebrew version had the article small and tucked away on page 5.

HaAretz is trying to manipulate its readers/subscribers minds. It is doing this consciously.

It is a disgrace.

Saul Lieberman said...

if it makes you feel any better, i have just established a new Facebook group: "Cancel My Subscription to Haaretz! (even if I don't have one)" at
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=123568067670684&ref=mf
I'll be happy to credit your inspiration with a link to the blog, if you will permit me.

Christian Zionist said...

But there is a bigger problem with Haaretz. It was complicit in the Kamm/Blau crimes of espionage against Israel.

I do not understand why indictments of Haaretz and its management have not been forthcoming.

Yaacov said...

Saul -

Be my guest. I'm not on Facebook so won't be able to join, but if it aggravates the Bad Guys, I'm all for it.

Saul Lieberman said...

Cancel My Subscription to Haaretz! (even if I don't have one)

Description: for people who wish they could cancel their subscription to Haaretz... but already have, or never had one.
(inspiration: http://yaacovlozowick.blogspot.com/)

AKUS said...

We've a;ways complained about the Arabs saying one thing in English for Western consumption and another in Arabic for locals.

Apparently Ha'aretz is really doing its best to integrate into ME culture.

NormanF said...

Ya'acov it is not Obama who must convince middle Israel.

It is the Palestinians. And I actually think for once, Nabil Sha'ath is a good Zionist. :) I don't want Israel to remain in the UN!

Joe in Australia said...

I do not understand why indictments of Haaretz and its management have not been forthcoming.

That really would be an attack on the freedom of the press, and in the long run I think it would be very bad for Israel. In the short term the military has been embarrassed and inconvenienced. People may well have been put at risk, and the damage in some cases will be permanent. On the other hand, the IDF has now had its attention drawn to a number of security holes and it can fix them before a genuine enemy agent exploits them. So yes, prosecute or otherwise punish the people who illegally copied or released the documents within the IDF; prosecute anyone who facilitated the leak; perhaps even prosecute the reporter if he revealed anything outside the context of news reporting. But prosecuting the paper is pointless - it would just ensure that the next leaker would go to a foreign newspaper.

Rabbi Tony Jutner said...

Sorry to disappoint you, but our government is already negotiating with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. This is a win win for both the US and Iran. Iran uses its nuclear arsenal as an implied threat to coerce israel to fulfill all relavant UN resolutions, thus sparing Obama the political followout to the Democratic Party if the US tried to do the right thing. In exchange, Iran gets increasing influence in an area that has become less important to the US in a post petroleum era