Iranian Turtlenauts, Syrian Threats
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s comments warning of a possible war with Syria have received wide coverage in the news media. Comments from Syria and Iran have received much less attention.
On Feb. 4, 2010, Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem implicitly threatened to commit war crimes against Israeli civilians by threatening to bring any war to Israeli cities should fighting break out. The Syrian government’s news agency (SANA) carried his comments in a meeting with the Spanish ambassador Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. Moallem is quoted as stating:
“Israel should not test Syria’s determination… Israel knows that war will move to the Israeli cities….Israel has to commit to the just and comprehensive peace requirements.”
This follows a statement by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also reported by the Syrian News Agency that “Israel is not serious about achieving peace since all facts point out that Israel is pushing the region towards war, not peace..”
For his part Spanish ambassador Moratinos “expressed appreciation of Syria’s positive role for the establishment of security and stability in the Middle East.”
These words came within days of the threatening words reported on the Iranian government’s Internet News site PressTV (Feb. 1, 2010) from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Iran “will deliver a harsh blow to the ‘global arrogance’ on this year’s anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.” Iran recently launched a rocket into orbit carrying turtles, mice and worms. There is concern that this rocket could be utilized for delivering warheads as well. Ahmadinejad’s explicit threat received little coverage from the American news media.
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 [...]