by Dror Eydar
In short, portraying everyone as "extreme Right" is the work of a political ideologue, not a pundit. This isn't "getting the terms straight," it's indoctrination.
1. On Israel's "Meet
the Press," TV host Rina Matzliach brought in three analysts from across
the political spectrum: Haim Ramon, Yossi Beilin and Roni Milo -- all
of whom oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The feeling the media
is broadcasting is deja vu from the 1999 elections: Back then, too, the
barrels of all the guns were aimed at Netanyahu. When the program began,
Matzliach called on everyone to go vote, because "anyone who doesn't
want to vote gives up on democracy." Why? Isn't democracy also the right
not to vote? Later, she explained that people who don't vote bolster
"the extremists on both sides." We can guess who the "extremists" are.
Former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Matzliach's in-house interviewee,
has already laid down the empty slogan that the elections are "between
Zionism and extremism," and by doing so painted the entire camp to her
right (which is most of the people) as extremist and not Zionist.
2. A poll Matzliach
presented asked respondents, "Do you want or not want Netanyahu as prime
minister?" Most of the public -- 65 percent -- said they did not. So
then the question was, "Who is the most fitting [candidate] for prime
minister?" This is the breakdown of replies from the Right: 36 percent
said Netanyahu; 10 percent said Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett;
10 percent said Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Lieberman; and 3 percent
said Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (Likud). Given the fact that
Netanyahu is leading the right-wing bloc, it's clear to anyone that even
those who prefer Bennett, Lieberman or Ya'alon would prefer to see
Netanyahu in the role rather than Livni, Labor Chairman Isaac Herzog, or
former Finance Minister and Yesh Atid founder Yair Lapid. In other
words, we're talking about support that stands at nearly 60 percent. If
we add supporters of former Likud minister Moshe Kahlon (7 percent),
we'll get a Soviet majority. But the headline will still be "65 percent
don't want Netanyahu." (And over 90 percent don't want the others, but
who will tell?)
3. On Army Radio,
journalist Amnon Abramovich told interviewer Rino Tzror that "the Labor
party, Yesh Atid, and Tzipi [Livni's] Hatnuah aren't Left, they're
center. The Left is Meretz and Hadash [the Arab-Jewish Communist Party].
The Right is the Likud. Bennett, Uri Ariel, and their partners are the
extreme Right. ... We need to get the terms straight."
Like Matzliach,
Abramovich is teaching us what to think and adopting alien geometry.
Livni and Herzog are the center? The division between Right and Left
here doesn't have much in common with the European tradition of Left and
Right. Here, it's mainly a diplomatic question. At one time, the entire
Right (and some of the Left) opposed a Palestinian state. It actually
turns out that Bennett's Habayit Hayehudi party is farther to the Right
than Netanyahu on other issues, which means that Netanyahu represents a
center-right position. Some Likud MKs are more right-wing than he is;
Naftali Bennett and Habayit Hayehudi and some Yisrael Beytenu MKs (not
all) are more to the right than they are; Uri Ariel and Tkuma are
farther to the right than Bennett, and Otzma L'Yisrael with Aryeh Eldad
even farther to the right. Michael Ben Ari is even more right-wing than
Eldad.
In short, portraying
everyone as "extreme Right" is the work of a political ideologue, not a
pundit. This isn't "getting the terms straight," it's indoctrination.
It's much easier to sell "center" than "Left," and rightfully so. When
it comes to the diplomatic question: the peace process, the question of
Jerusalem, the settlements, etc., it's clear that Herzog and Livni are
on the Left. Abramovich identifies with these parties and it's
convenient for him to stand in the center rather than, heaven forbid,
the extreme Left. This guy sits as the only political analyst on the
Channel 2 news, a public media outlet committed to "balanced
programming" that is supposed to give "appropriate expression ... to
common public views" (as per the Second Broadcasting Authority Law). It
would be befitting, at least in the next three months, to juxtapose
Abramovich and Matzliach with a political analyst that represents the
Right and the conservatives.
4. Veteran journalist
Nahum Barnea, in his weekly column, did not hesitate to skewer MK Ayelet
Shaked from Habayit Hayehudi. That party scares him and those like him
(look up "Abramovich and extremists"). Barnea let his readers in on the
secret that Shaked allegedly told one of the state prosecutors, that "in
the next government I'll be justice minister. I'll come to destroy
you." Horrible. Run to vote, otherwise Habayit Hayehudi will take over
from Tzipi "the last bulwark of democracy" Livni. Barnea had no problem
adding, "I did not manage to verify the statements with Shaked." If you
didn't, don't vilify her.
But the instinct to slander the
Right is stronger than the man. It's a habit. On Sunday came the
apology. Barnea's story serves as an example of how the media treats the
Israeli majority.
Dror Eydar
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=10853
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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