When did the Israeli right become so McCarthyite?
A bit of funding in the right place could nurture appreciation for freedom of speech across the political board.
By Anshel Pfeffer Tags: Israel news IDFHuman right organizations are a nuisance. The moment the number of one of their PR people appears on my mobile, I groan inwardly. Another alleged case of wrongdoing by IDF soldiers in the West Bank. First, I have to sift through the initial report and decide whether there is any merit in it, which usually means an argument with the aforementioned PR person.
Next I try to corroborate the report from Palestinian and Israeli sources. And then there's the phone call to the duty officer at the IDF Spokesman's Office, who is going to say, "Why do you always believe what those anti-Israel people tell you?" (At this point, I should make it clear that I am referring in this column to Israeli human rights groups. The international ones simply publish their reports with much fanfare. They are not interested in working with the Israeli media to really get to the bottom of these stories).
B'Tselem, Yesh Din, Machsom Watch, Breaking the Silence and their ilk are nudniks, they are one-sided, they pick up any story floating around, often giving exaggerated credence to hearsay testimony and they have a tendency for overkill, conflating every report into a phenomenon. Yet we couldn't do without them.
With their resources and their zeal they are serving as eyes and ears, not just for the Israeli media, but for the Israeli public as a whole. Despite all the media's efforts, much of what goes on across the Green Line remains unreported and without the researchers of these organizations and their local informants, we would know even less. Yes, of course they are politically biased, and not all of their reports stand up to scrutiny, but they play a vital role in our poor democracy's system of checks and balances. They draw attention to what many of us would prefer not to know about - but have to.
Delegitimizing the human rights movement
A concerted campaign by the government and private organizations has been underway in recent weeks to delegitimize the human rights movement. The latest attack came from the neo-Zionist student movement Im Tirzu, which published last week a detailed study on the connection between Israeli human rights groups and the Goldstone report. Im Tirzu's researchers say the report contains 450 quotes from Israeli sources, 200 of them from either official government sources or the local media. The rest are from independent organizations, and for over three quarters of them information was provided by 16 organizations funded by the New Israel Fund. The study classified the quotes from Israeli sources as "positive," "neutral" and "negative." Of the 207 "negative" quotes that criticized the IDF and the government, 191 came from the 16 NIF-funded organizations. Basically, all the information was supplied by these organizations.
The bottom line according to Im Tirzu chairman Ron Shoval is that the NIF, which describes its objective as "promoting equality for all Israelis," is funding organizations "working hard, directly and in sophisticated ways against the IDF and its legitimacy and the legitimacy of the state of Israel."
What is being said here? Im Tirzu is not claiming that any of the information supplied by these organizations was false. It is simply questioning the very legitimacy of free speech in Israel. As Im Tirzu sees it, the human rights organizations and the New Israel Fund, which is funding them, should be tarred and feathered for pointing out that not everything the IDF did in Gaza was so great. Instead of trying to delegitimize Israel, they are trying to point out how, in their view, Israel should be acting to improve its legitimacy. What could be more pro-Israel than that?
Im Tirzu, I think, objects to these groups' airing Israel's dirty laundry by responding to the Goldstone commission's call for information. It forgets that in the correct democratic scheme of things, human rights organizations supply information about the authority's wrongdoing, its alleged trampling of individuals and minorities, and the government responds with its explanations. But the government refused to cooperate with Goldstone, a decision that many ministers and senior officials have since lamented.
If, indeed, Richard Goldstone is a vain and vindictive person, as some as his acquaintances have said in recent months, then the government would have certainly have been wise to make overtures to him and receive him and his commission with all due respect and supply them with expert witnesses and the extensive materials of the IDF's internal reports. I don't think that the Goldstone report would have given the IDF a glowing testimonial if the government had acted differently, but I am certain it would not have been quite as damning and obviously biased against Israel.
Some of the organizations that are pilloried by Im Tirzu do not support Goldstone either. Yael Stein, B'Tselem's research director told the New York Times two weeks ago: "I do not accept the Goldstone conclusion of a systematic attack on civilian infrastructure. It is not convincing."
Even if they disagree with the conclusions, these groups were still serving their purpose of striving for an open and transparent accounting by supplying the commission with information.
Im Tirzu states its mission as to "renew and reinstate Zionist discourse." Since when was Zionism about stifling free and open discourse? When did the Israeli right become so McCarthyite? The right's spiritual leader, Menachem Begin, himself a longtime victim of McCarthyism from the left, was a staunch believer in freedom of speech. Not that long ago, in the mid-1990s and during the disengagement from Gaza, it was the right wing complaining that it was being delegitimized and stifled. I think that organizations such as the New Israel Fund should see this as their problem also. If, indeed, they are so committed to the promotion of civil society in Israel, perhaps they should try and find a few right-wing groups also working for transparency and an opening of the public discourse, and maybe a bit of funding in the right place could nurture appreciation for freedom of speech across the political board. Let everybody be nudniks.
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Only people from Wisconsin think McCarthy was anything but a demagogue.
Mr. Pfeffer's essay raises an interesting point. He says that human rights organizations deal in rumors. When they report their rumors to someone who knows that the reports are just rumors, to someone who will try to sift fact from falsity, Mr. Pfeffer, his colleagues and the organizations serve a very important, legitimate purpose. But, apparently, Goldstone was not Pfeffer, he did not care about the difference between rumor and fact. Unless the organizations had reason to believe that he was going to try to learn the truth, it was irresponsible for them to go to him. They made a mistake. We all do, even Mr Pfeffer. Sometimes our mistakes catch up to us, particularly when they result in serious injury. When we are the cause of the injury, we have to accept the responsibility for our errors in judgement. Sometimes, we have to pay. It is called defamation Mr. Pfeffer, not McCarthyism.
Just because the mainstream communist media and the mainstream academics (also communists) have droningly slandered him for decades doesn't make McCarthy any less of a hero.
the israeli loony left only acheived 5% of the vote john. the right and centre right 75%.
The Left is arrogant and intolerant - just attempt to be a right leaning academic in an Israeli university and see what happens. Hypoccrites! If the Israeli public is shifting to the Right, it is due to the Gaza debacle. The Left claims that giving up land will bring peace but it only brings on more Islamic extremism. So much for that dream. But noooooo, the Left doesn't give up and you know why? Essentially they desire the destruction of the Jewish State of Israel. They are joined ideologically at the hip with Hamas' suicide bombers. We see through all of you and straight to the truth: the Left does not have the best interests of the Israeli people or Jews anywhere at heart.
Fears, distrust, zealotry, greed and a threat of diversity are the many elements that reside in the minds of the Israeli right. Israeli leaders exploit those emotions in direct conflict with rational thought. The world is continually evolving with more diversity. People or nations cannot survive forever as islands in this ocean. It is to Israel's benefit to build durable relationships with all it's citizens and neighbors.
Did McCarthy ever falsely accuse so much as a single individual of a crime or association he was NOT guilty of? Did McCarthy ever accuse anyone of being a Communist who indeed was not one or associated with one and subsequently cleared his name, but still went on to dire long term consequences? Don't give me the answer, "plenty"! I ask for only one name to refute my point. Because the REAL answer is "not a single individual, not one."Was the US Army, Military, indeed President Truman's White House Staff NOT infiltrated with Russian directed spies, who obtained American nuclear secrets to build bombs that were directed at American and European cities specifically to kill US and allied men, women, and children? The US liberal news media at the time, and for 50 years onward would smear this patriot to cover their own dirty tracks. Read your history, because clearly you don't have a clue! Just one innocent, defamed individual!
Israeli left, as left everywhere around the world, lead the world to Israel distruction from the inside. Instead of demanding investigation on Goldstone and his gang of pathological liars, Israeli left vilifies Israel IDF, demoralises Israel defense, creates moral ground for islamofascists attacking and killing Jews around the world and in Israel. As everywhere around the world, they do this for money.
The voluminous investment by arab governments and non-arab NGO's to delegimitize Israel seems to be insufficient for some frustrated Merez affiliated groups ; so what is better than to take freedom of speech as an excuse for covering cooperation with anti-Israeli sponsors disregarding the actual risk of harrassment for IDF personel, loss of export markets and denigration of our unrelently attacked homeland?
Ben, you claim, that "the IDF sent leaflets, made cell phone calls and did everything in its power to avoid killing innocent civilians." I can prove to you, that the Israeli army - far from being careful - had the intent to kill. Israeli generals and politicians in the weeks leading up to the attack on Gaza, had announced that the attack was going to be very destructive. They calculated that to "go crazy" would be advantageous, it would cause "shock and awe". And so it did. Look at the timing of the firsts assault: it was on Saturday 27 December 2008, shortly before noon, when children were returning from school and crowds were milling in the streets of densely populated Gaza City. The attack did indeed shock Hamas and the whole of Gaza; it took only a few minutes for Israel to kill over 200 people, most of them civilians (incl. women and children and graduating civil police officers) and wound 700. There was NO prior warning. It was coldly calculated state terror on a massive scale.
So if terrorists warm people that they will blow up a city in an hour with a nuke. Does that make them moral. give your head a shake
The caparison is not one I had thought of, but it is proper and correct in essence. McCarthy epitomized right wing mentality and style He was small minded, small spirited, more than a little paranoid and and a danger to society and government by law. McCarthy symbolized the Right as no one else. He was small minded, small spirited, paranoid, a danger to society and good government..If he were an Israeli, he would sit in the Knesset with the rest of the tribalists. If he were a Palestinian, he would seek to lead Hamas. And that is the point; right wingers are interchangeable. Our extreme right wing would undoubtedly belong to Hamas but for a mistake of birth; Members of Hamas would would be leaders of the settlers but for a mistake in birth.
Your take on "human experience" was very funny, thanks. As for Israel having "no more left wing" this is simply hyperbole and nonsense. It is true they are not in power, but they were at the outset of the intifada. From my personal human experience, I understand that the intifada all but wiped out the strength of the Left in gov't. but the Left still controls the education system and universities as well as Haaretz. As for resembling Stalinism, it is obvious you have little if any understanding of Stalinism. I should also point out to you that Stalin was the grand poobah of the Left, and at no time did the Left protest the occupation of Eastern or Central Europe. "Blockade of Berlin"? What are you taling about, Berlin was never blockaded it was crushed and occupied by Soviet (Leftist) forces for fifty years! Glenn ignorance is no excuse.
I had never heard of this organization or its activities until this morning. Finally, someone on campus with some sense is doing something to fight post-Zionist anti-Zionism! The more the Left bitches about Im Tirzu, the more money I will send them. And by the way, to all you Leftists out there: there is nothing that gets the really big funds flooding into Israel than your activities. Jews here and abroad can't stand seeing Jews endanger other Jews. Keep up the good work suckers!
To the bigger picture of Israel's human rights violations. They're actually relatively evenhanded with their condemnations and "notes". Do you ever visit their websites?; or do you just generalize without knowing?
'...then the government would have certainly have been wise to make overtures to him and receive him and his commission with all due respect and supply them with expert witnesses and the extensive materials of the IDF's internal reports...' This assumes, of course, that this information wouldn't make matters worse still. I would imagine the IDF and the Israeli government took the course they did for good and sound reasons. In their place, I would have done exactly as they did. Indeed, on one or two occasions I have.
Oh I wouldn't worry about the right, Anshel, I'd worry about your leftists and their desire to dismantle the Jewish state which they see as wrong. No country in the world tries to avoid unnecessary casualties like Israel. In case you're to young, Anshel, England reduced several German cities during WWII in response to German bombing. The US firebombed Tokyo and set a large part of that city on fire. In the Pacific the Marines used flame throwers against a determined and suicidal enemy. Sorry "Charlie" but I don't buy what you're selling. The NIF is a fifth column, as you are undermining Israel's ability to defend itself. Take your marxist hyperbole back to where you belong-in the Soviet Union.
Pfeffer, it is not about stifling free speech. It is about transparency. And while organizations like NIF have had a free ride for a long time, there are some that have a right to information that may not be comfortable to them. It is not about McCarthy. Im Tirtzu also have free speech rights, if you agree or not with their views.Twisting the issues does not make Pfeffer Chubby Checker.
Oh please enough about the leaflets and cell phones. In Lebanon war II we saw how your leaflets and cellphone "humane" operation worked. You warn the people and they fled, then you dropped bombs on the bridges cutting off the fleeing peoples escape route, then they dropped bombs on the people driving cars with white flags that were trying to escape. In the cities you were dropping phosphorous bombs on the kids burning them to a crisp. Then no less than 4 hours to the truce your Moral armed forces dropped cluster bombs all over the place to make sure that kids and adults would be blown to bits even after the truce. Humane my buttocks! More like Immoral, cruel and disgusting.
The problem with these "human rights" organizations is that many have shifted from being non-political watchdogs to axe grinders engaged in lawfare against democratic regimes. By the way, one would think that progressives would love to call themselves "neo-zionists", hence the absurdity of the slur.
A common principle of law (and human experience) is that a party to a controvery who conceals evidence is presumed untrustworthy. This principle explains why the Israeli government, which has barred journalists from Gaza and intimidates those who oppose its policies, has lost all credibility. Israel has no more left wing and thus flies in circles of hell, losing its conscience and self-respect as it coldly calibrates its tyranny of siege and occupation. It more resembles Stalinism and the blockade of Berlin than Judaism.
Nobody wants to delegitimize real human rights movements. The IDF itself sent leaflets, made cell phone calls and did everything in its power to avoid killing innocent civilians. Did these so called human rights organizations ever praise the worlds first military to do this for taking such unprecedented steps? They split hairs to try and find a single officer or soldier who made a mistake and published it the world over with the clear intent of delegitimizing Israel for defending itself. That’s chutzpah! They don’t worry about human rights because they didn’t even cry foul as Hamas rained thousands of missiles onto Israeli soil. These groups need to be exposed and I for one am happy somebody is doing it. Let the human rights groups cry out for the people in Darfur and other places where real crimes against humanity take place. Of course there is not as much money in that so there is really no chance of it happening. Stop with the self hatred already, its okay to defend ourselves. Its okay to live. And guess what, yes, although its hard for us Jews to accept, its even okay to win sometimes. Especially when our children’s future is at stake.
The leftists discredited themselves by collaborating with Anti-Israeli forces. So for none of them lost their jobs including professors that call for extermination if the State of Israel. Former speaker of the knesset from Labour party became a Frecnch citizen!!! i.e. all these years he worked for France not Israel