Monday, December 2, 2013

Media Double Standards Against Israel



OpEd by: Ronn Torossian

Israel is so constantly subject to obscene double standards by the media, it reminds me of a touching scene from the movie Defiance, about Jewish partisans during the Holocaust where the prayer leader begs of G-d “Please, choose another people! We’ve run out of blood, so please choose another people.” When incidents which portray the truth about Israel – as the victim – they are often ignored by the media.  Two incidents this week which occurred in Jerusalem received zero mainstream media coverage, outside of the Israel/Jewish related media. If the shoe had been on the other foot there would have been wall-to-wall media coverage, United Nations condemnations, and who knows what else:

At the holiest Jewish site in the world, Jews dared to sing Hanukkah songs and pray – and for this were attacked by Muslim worshipers on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Sunday.  In Israel, which is often falsely condemned for “oppressing” Arabs, Jews were banned from praying at the site after the Muslims attacked them.  No media coverage surrounding any of this. (No calls from world leaders about this Palestinian Arab action creating a crisis for peace talks, or as an obstacle to peace.)  Imagine if Jews attacked Arabs while they were praying?

A two year old toddler, Avigail Ben-Zion, sustained serious head as the result of Arab terrorists throwing a three-pound rock through the window of the car her mother was driving in Jerusalem Thursday night.   A complete black wall of silence. Both of these incidents occurred in Jerusalem – and there was literally not one foreign or International news organization which covered either of these stories. Imagine if Jewish teenagers threw rocks at Arab toddlers?

Jews pray and Jews drive cars – and are attacked and the media ignores it. Media ignoring these incidents is simply insane. 

Bob Dylan wrote a song in 1983 called “Neighborhood Bully” which is a perfect description of today: “He's criticized and condemned for being alive. We are supposed to turn a blind eye while millions of Israeli citizens are in danger .He's not supposed to fight back, he's supposed to have thick skin, He's supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in.” “The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land - He’s wandered the earth an exiled man - Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn -  He’s always on trial for just being born - He’s the neighborhood bully.”
Everything in Israel attracts undue media attention – except when Jews are harmed. A Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky had the answer when he wrote “Instead of Excessive Apology” in 1911: “We constantly and very loudly apologize…. Instead of turning our backs to the accusers, as there is nothing to apologize for, and nobody to apologize to, we swear again and again that it is not our fault… Isn’t it long overdue to respond to all these and all future accusations, reproaches, suspicions, slanders and denunciations by simply folding our arms and loudly, clearly and calmly answer with the only argument that is understandable and accessible to this public: ‘Go to Hell’?”  
This PR Agency owner says Israel needs to act in its best interest always and regularly – and sometimes forget about negative PR.

Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, a leading independent PR Firm.