.
Diary by Patrick Lang :: Old Habits Die Hard at “Al-Hurra”
In a February radio address in honor of Voice of America’s 60th anniversary, Bush singled out Pattiz for his “perseverance and dedication to the project.” The ‘project’ being the production of Arab-language propaganda for two new media outlets: The Al-hurrah satellite television network, and Radio Sawa.
Continues below the fold »»
Pattiz, who lives in a Beverly Hills mansion and sports a big, diamond LA Lakers championship ring on his pinky finger (a gift from Shaquille O’Neal), bought his way into the heart of Bill Clinton by contributing a paltry $300,000 to his campaign. (Pattiz pled guilty to charges that he skirted campaign finance laws and got a wrist-slap, paying a $75,000 fine.) The favor was returned when Clinton nominated Pattiz to the BBG. More recently, Pattiz helped fund Hillary Clinton’s successful senate run, which he has since used to leverage her cooperation in attempting to win the release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.
Pattiz is no stranger to Middle Eastern politics. He has been an active force at the Israel Policy Forum (IPF) — a think-tank that coordinates pro-Israel propaganda. He meets regularly with key Israeli politicians, and hosts IPF monthly roundtable discussions where prominent American Jews of the media and government meet with Israeli leaders in brainstorming sessions. In 1999, Pattiz was honored by IPF at a tribute dinner where former Prime Minister Ehud Barak presented him with an award and called him “an important conduit of information.”
● Information Control For Social Manipulation
© 2003 by David B. Deserano is a recent graduate from Portland State
University, Oregon, with an MS in Communication Theory
Competing Constructions of Middle East Realities
By Michael C. Hudson
In April 2004, according to the Los Angeles Times, Secretary of State Colin Powell complained to the visiting Qatari foreign minister, Shaykh Hamad Jasim ibn Jabir Al Thani, that Al Jazeera’s broadcasts had “intruded” on relations between the US and Qatar. Qatar hosts the largest American military base in the region.
And on August 6, 2004, Secretary Rumsfeld spoke before the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations. According to the official account:
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told the Council on Foreign Relations in Chicago August 6 that some of the reporting by Arab media such as Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya has damaged US initiatives in the Middle East. For example, he said, "They have persuaded an enormous fraction" of people that the United States is in Iraq as an occupying force, "which is a lie."
Or, he added, they have persuaded people that US soldiers "are randomly killing innocent civilians, which is a lie. ... Rumsfeld said some of the Al Jazeera reporters in Baghdad have been in the past on the payroll of the regime of Saddam Hussein. By conveying false or misleading information now, he said, it "makes everything harder" for the United States and even for countries that are neighbors to Iraq.
60 Minutes: Inside Al Jazeera CBS-TV, October 10, 2001
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
“Or, he added, they have persuaded people that US soldiers “are randomly killing innocent civilians, which is a lie. … Rumsfeld said some of the Al Jazeera reporters in Baghdad have been in the past on the payroll of the regime of Saddam Hussein. By conveying false or misleading information now, he said, it “makes everything harder” for the United States and even for countries that are neighbors to Iraq.”
Gawd there is so much disinformation in Rummy’s tirade there… where to begin??
First off: No other newsmedia is less “free” than Americas right now.
Secondly he has our men and women in a FREE FIRE ZONE and with no agenda and no clear cut plan. They are shooting at anything because they haven’t any real clear cut allies or enemies.
They are waging war on civilians. Because that is now who is fighting them.
Thanks for the diaries Oui. Always takes me on a journey with all the various links and by the time I read them… you have a new diary or my mind is on another subject from one of your links 🙂 Regardless, they help me grow, think and learn.
.
It started with a search for corporate media and Jewish corporate media, which led to websites on media influence on U.S. foreign policy. I recently wrote a diary Norman J. Pattiz – Chairman BBG Middle East Committee.
In another diary on the War of Words between Israel and Iran on new electronic devices for precision detonation of bombs in Iraq, I skirted some clearly anti-semitic sites, yet there was some worthwhile content to quote from.
Is this anti-semitism?
The Israeli Terrorist State and its Mossad Assassins ◊ by Dr. Israel Shahak
Jewish Assassination and Media Doublethink ◊ by Michael Hoffman II
I find this info interesting, as it is placed in the year 2001, Sharon as new PM of Israel after his February election victory, the setting in which the 911 attacks were executed.
State-Sponsored Assassinations by Agents of the Israeli Government ◊ by Michael Hoffman
Elie Hobeika, a key witness in the Sabra-Chatila war crimes case being pursued in a Belgian court against Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, was blown up outside his house in Beirut on Jan. 24, 2002, together with three bodyguards and a civilian bystander. The car-bomb was the work of professional assassins in the employ of Mossad, the Israeli secret service. The explosion occurred two days after Hobeika agreed to give evidence against Sharon in Belgium. Hobeika had met Belgian Senators Josy Dubie and Vincent van Quickenborne in east Beirut, agreeing to be a witness at any trial of Sharon for the Sabra and Chatila massacre.
Elie Hobeika
Belgian lawyers seeking to indict Sharon expressed their “profound shock” at Hobeika’s murder. “Mr Hobeika had several times expressed his wish to assist the Belgian inquiry on the massacres at Sabra and Chatila,” a statement from the Belgian lawyers said. “His determination to do so was reported widely on the eve of his assassination. The elimination of the key protagonist who offered to assist with the inquiry is an obvious attempt to undermine our case.”
Marwan Hamadeh, the Lebanese minister for refugees stated,”My initial evaluation is that of course Israel doesn’t want witnesses against it in this historic case in Belgium…” Israeli Prime Minister Sharon dismissed the charges: “I am simply saying, from our point of view, we have no link to this subject at all, and this is not worthy of a comment,” Sharon told reporters.
When a people lost 6,000,000 lives in Nazi Germany, where does its new nation place the boundary for collateral damage?
Additional reading: Victor Ostrovsky: How Mossad Got America to Bomb Libya & Vanunu’s Case – Israel Nuclear Power
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼▼▼ READ MY DIARY
IPF has been much more critical of Sharon and supportive of a two state solution than other Israeli think tanks. It is definately alligned with Labor rather than Likud. don’t think it is fair to describe it as a propaganidist outfit for Israel. It doesn’t white wash like other organizations. It hard for me to believe one of their members would lobby for the release of Pollard. Do you have any proof of this allegation?
.
The marge to operate within Israeli politics toward a peaceful settlement of a two-state solution and return of all Palestinian land occupied by Israel since 1967, is very small. In practise, it’s been Likud PMs who made steps toward peace, as a military regional power will only negotiate from a position of strength, does will do all to weaken the other partner for peace.
It was PM Begin to settle peace with Sadat and PM Sharon to pull out of Gaza. Rabin failed and the largest and critical failure was PM Barak in 2000 to sign a peace agreement. The political opposition of Likud and far-right religious extremist parties prevent a Labor PM to negotiate terms for a final agreement with the Palestinian Authority.
See my comment added to this diary.
Ever since the Oslo agreements, Israeli governments have done all to set aside their resposibility towards a peace settlement. See other platforms where a discussion with Pelstinians take place — in Israel and outside in Europe.
IPF believes, the organization’s president Seymour D. Reich told Rice, “that our country and this administration can make a real difference in helping to achieve a realistic and viable two-state solution.”
“We back the direction of the Bush administration in moving the process forward, in a step-by-step approach,” Reich continued. “And we stand ready to assist you in order to build a bridge from Prime Minister Sharon’s courageous disengagement this summer to President Bush’s vision of two states living side by side in peace and security.”
The meeting with Rice was held in response to a letter sent by IPF leaders to her, in which IPF called on the administration to work towards simultaneous actions by the Palestinian Authority to “bring to an end to all violence directed against Israelis” and by Israel to “freeze existing settlement expansion” and “remove unauthorized settlement outposts”.
In their letter, the IPF leaders requested a meeting with Secretary Rice to “gain a deeper understanding of our government’s hopes and objectives in the months ahead” and to convey the “strong support” that President Bush and she have “from Jewish Americans on both sides of the aisle.”
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY