New York’s UpClose – Far From Balanced About Israel
Viewers of the January 20 WABC (channel 7) UpClose Sunday weekly talk show (11AM – 11:30) – seen in New Jersey and Connecticut as well as New York – were subjected to a severely one-sided castigation of Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians. Hosted by Diana Williams, the guests were Yonatan Shapira (former Israeli air force captain) and Bassam Aramin (former Fatah fighter) touring the U.S. on behalf of their group, “Combatants for Peace.”
Dog and pony show lacked scrutiny of controversial, questionable views:
Williams intoned, “Snapshots of life in a land torn apart by violence,” as lead-in video clips showed suffering on both sides. Williams said, “They (the Israeli military) credit the series of checkpoints in the West Bank (for reducing the number of suicide bombings).” However, this statement is countered by an “Arab professor” (Mustafah Barghouti), described as a “moderate Palestinian,” who says, “The checkpoints serve only one purpose, which is collective punishment.” The host fails to mention Barghouti’s role as a well-known Palestinian spokesman and propagandist.
Failing to provide an Israeli mainstream perspective, the program equated the violence to both sides, describing the conflict as a “circle of revenge” and omitting discussion of Islamic fanaticism while blaming the conflict mostly on settlements and occupation. Ignoring the Hamas – and other terrorists – aim to destroy Israel, Shapira answered the question – “What was the turning point for you?” – by describing the bombing by a fellow pilot of a Hamas leader’s home causing several collateral casualties.
Shapira’s outrageous metaphor associates him with those Israelis having fringe views:
Shapira, urging “tough love” by the U.S., likens Israel to “your child [who is] drunk”: “You’re not going to give him the keys [to the car].”
A rush to judgement against Israel:
Introducing Bassam Aramin, Williams said he “lost his ten-year old daughter, Abir, who was shot by an Israeli soldier.” But Williams failed to mention that there is no official verdict in this case in the 2007 death. Pathologists at the Israeli Forensic Institute said the child’s autopsy was inconclusive but ruled out rubber bullets (as claimed by Bassam), saying the child was killed either by an (Israeli) stun grenade or by a (Palestinian) rock during an attack on Israeli soldiers.
UpClose is urged to balance this one-sided broadcast with a program that addresses such matters as: The non-existence of Palestinians speaking out against daily rocket attacks from Gaza upon Israeli civilians; The on-going incitement to violence against Jews in the Palestinian media, mosques and schools.
More from SNAPSHOTS
AP Avoids Calling Farrakhan Comments “Anti-Semitic”
November 9, 2018
For some mysterious reason, the Associated Press felt Louis Farrakhan's mutterings on international relations deserve close attention. "Louis Farrakhan, in Iran, warns Trump a Mideast war possible," a Associated Press headline announced, as if the [...]
Israeli Peace Offers, Palestinian Rock Throwing Are M.I.A in Post Report
July 26, 2018
A June 28, 2018 Washington Post report, “Prince William visit Jerusalem’s holy sites, concluding historic visit,” omitted key context and details about the Duke of Cambridge’s trip to Israel and areas controlled by the Palestinian [...]
Media Story About Ultra-Orthodox Responsibility for Lengthy El Al Delay Disputed
July 11, 2018
Israeli journalist Sivan Rahav Meir reports in The Times of Israel today ("That Ultra-Orthodox flight delay? It didn't happen") that media claims, based on a Facebook post by Israeli rapper Chen Rotem, that a group [...]
One Haaretz Page-One Sentence, Lots of Errors
July 11, 2018
One sentence in a page-one article of Haaretz's's English print edition yesterday packed in multiple errors. Headlined "Netanyahu: Israel to close commercial Gaza crossing over airborne firebombs," the article erred: Palestinians began flying the devices [...]
Media Largely Ignore Alleged Hamas Payment to Dead Baby’s Family
June 25, 2018
A New York Times caption which definitively claims that Layla Ghandour "fell ill after inhaling tear gas," despite the fact that the accompanying article itself acknowledges that the story involving tear gas was disputed Western [...]
PCUSA Stands By While Palestinian Activist Harassed by Extremist
June 20, 2018
Palestinian human rights activist Bassem Eid walks away from an aggressive and hostile “intersectionality” activist Bassem Masri outside the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s General Assembly taking place in St. Louis. (Screenshot from Twitter.) Palestinian human rights [...]
AFP Whitewashes Gaza’s Serial Arsonists as ‘Activists’
June 19, 2018
June 20 Update: Multiple Media Outlets Amend Captions Calling Gaza Arsonists 'Activists' Numerous Agence France-Presse photo captions in the last couple of days misidentify Gazans responsible for airborne arson attacks which destroyed 28,000 dunums of [...]
Newsweek Headline Fail on Israeli Attacks in Syria
June 18, 2018
A grossly misleading Newsweek headline ("Israel Bombs Syria to Stop Refugees Fleeing to Europe, Netanyahu Says," June 14) falsely suggests that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is bombing Syria in order to [...]