by Kalman Liebskind
-- On July 10, 2008 Ha’aretz’s main section contained a small story. Not small, tiny. 93 words to be precise. “The district committee,” stated the article, “has approved for public hearing the establishment of 920 housing units in the Har Homa neighborhood of Jerusalem.” The industrious journalist also included the city’s reasons for having chosen to promote the project: “this will serve as a housing alternative for young couples, after the controversial Safdie project was struck down.” Back then Ha’aretz did not believe that construction in East Jerusalem was a major story. This article was not even referenced in the front page, which was devoted to a kindergarten teacher who had abused children, a doctor who had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital and then committed suicide, and the important legal ruling that “prostitutes will receive minimum wage from their pimps.”
More than two years have passed since this meeting of the district committee in Jerusalem. The committee’s members, who, as reported by Ha’aretz, approved the plan, have not held a single meetings since 2008. Since that time, the plan has gone through several technical changes. It took nearly two years for the Housing Ministry to approve changes sought by the committee, such as changing the entrance level into the houses, the height of the supporting walls, and parking places.
A few days ago advertisements were published in the newspapers inviting anyone opposing the plan, to do so. Apparently Ha’aretz decided to be the first to voice its objection. Ha’aretz knew that nothing new had occurred. Assuming that they remember what they themselves published two years ago, the paper should have been aware that this was a project that had already been approved. But two years ago Prime Minister Netanyahu was not on his way to the United States, and this time he was. So Ha’aretz must have thought that this itself warranted the recycling of a story, as if it had never been published, while attempting to create a false image of some news event in the making.
Ha’aretz knows well that Barack Obama will not point out their journalist charlatanism. To the contrary. He and the Arabs serve as excellent partners to Ha’aretz’s pyromaniac games. Schocken Publishing tosses the match, while Obama and Saeb Erekat pour the gasoline on it.
This is not political journalism. This is false journalism. Journalism that presents a reality that does not in fact exist. A series of journalists recycled this piece of nonsense without even going to the Interior Ministry to see what this was all about. Some reported new tenders in Har Homa, of which there were none. Amos Schocken knows that even when he concocts stories of this kind he is walking on solid ground. That the papers in Israel love Netanyahu and construction in Jerusalem about as much as he does. That no one will expose him in his shame. And so he goes about and transforms his paper into a machine constantly charged with inciting the entire world against us. All means are justified as he is prepares to ignite the entire Middle East, just so long as Netanyahu is caught in the flame. One can hardly avoid the impression that Ha’aretz has chosen to forgo the journalistic experience and has become an actual player on the political field. [...]
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