Appearing on Bill O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel (March 23), actor Kelsey Grammer (pictured above) promoted a forthcoming National Geographic Channel television film, “Killing Jesus,” based on O’Reilly’s bestseller book of the same name.

Mr. Grammer, in addition to being an accomplished actor and known to be one who genuinely cares about people, is, along with Jon Voight, among the staunchest of Israel supporters in the entertainment industry (this writer is a fan of both Grammer and Voight).

Grammer, playing the role of King Herod in the film, remarked to O’Reilly that, “I am actually a Gentile playing a Jew which is always very controversial.” Instead, he would have been more accurate if he had remarked, “I am actually a Gentile playing a Gentile who played a Jew …”

Why does this matter? Because as it is, Jews and the Jewish state receive a great deal of unfair, inaccurate bad press without viewers being misled (unintentionally or otherwise) about the New Testament villain, King Herod, the Roman client King of Judea (the territory often erroneously referred to as “first century Palestine”). Herod was not a Jew, at least certainly not in the normal sense.

According to the New Testament, Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod who ordered the murder of innocent children in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:16 (New King James Version): “Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male [Jewish] children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.” The wise men (Magi), from the east had traveled to Jerusalem to determine the whereabouts of the one who was born “King of the Jews.” Herod, hearing of this – and hearing from priests and teachers that an eventual ruler was to be born in Bethlehem – instructed the Magi to go to Bethlehem, find the child and report back to him so that he, Herod, could worship the child (actually intending to kill him). But the Magi never returned to Herod.

Herod’s original claim to being a Jew (and he generally passed himself off as one presumably for political purposes – as part of his successful currying of favor with the Roman governing bureaucracy) was based on the fact that Herod’s grandfather, like many of his fellow Edomites (descendants of Esau, the firstborn son of Isaac and the twin brother of Jacob who was to become Israel), had been forcibly converted to Judaism.

Extra-biblical accounts, especially from first century CE Roman-Jewish historian Josephus, tell us of Herod’s colossal building projects throughout Judea – and also of his great cruelty to his Jewish subjects and his own family. It seems that he also experienced great pain and mental and physical disorder.

So, villainous King Herod was not generally considered a Jew by Jews of his time or, for that matter, of this time. Mr. Grammer, please take notice.

In George Orwell’s enduringly instructive dystopian novel, 1984, the Ministry of Truth—“war is peace,” “freedom is slavery,” “ignorance is strength”—functioned as the department of lies. The fictional ministry has an actual branch in the U.S. capital. It goes by the name of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Washington, D.C. delegation.

Attempting to refute the irrefutable, delegation head Maen Rashid Areikat took to The Washington Post letters to the editor section (“Palestinians seek peace and justice,” March 26, 2015) to falsify facts in columnist Charles Krauthammer’s indictment of Palestinian rejectionism (“No peace in our time,” March 20).

Krauthammer noted that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat rejected U.S.-Israeli offers of a West Bank and Gaza Strip state in exchange for peace in 2000 and 2001 and Mahmoud Abbas did so in 2008. Areikat claimed “there were no written offers,” as if spoken proposals would not have been worth pursuing.

In fact, what came to be known as “the Clinton parameters” regarding the deals Arafat spurned at Camp David in 2000 and Taba in 2001 are well known. Likewise, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert conveyed the outlines of a “two-state solution,” a map included, to Abbas in 2008—to which the latter replied, in effect, “I’ll get back to you” but as Olmert wrote in a Post Op-Ed six years ago never did (“Stop Focusing on the Settlements to Achieve Peace in the Middle East,” July 17, 2009).

Areikat asserted that the Palestinian side “explicitly accepted” a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern Jerusalem on just “22 percent of historical Palestine” but Israel refused. The land originally intended for the post-World War I League of Nations’ Palestine Mandate also included what is now Jordan and the Golan Heights, or more than 77 percent. Israel compromises roughly 17 percent of that territory, the West Bank and Gaza the remaining, unallocated nearly six percent. Palestinian leadership explicitly refused to agree to Israeli proposals of a West Bank and Gaza state, with its capital in eastern Jerusalem, if agreement required it to end the conflict with Israel, recognize it as a Jewish state and drop the so-called “right of return” for Palestinian Arab refugees and much-multiplied descendants.

Areikat claims that Palestinian leadership acts “responsibly” to assure rule of law in the areas it controls. That would be a surprise to democrats and other endangered species in the Gaza Strip, ruled by the terrorist Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement). It also would sound somewhat inaccurate to West Bank Arabs controlled by Abbas and Areikat’s PA, which beats and jails critics.

The PLO’s chief Washington representative objects to Krauthammer’s observation that his boss, Abbas, is in the 11th year of a four-year term. According to Areikat, Abbas “called for elections three weeks before” Krauthammer’s column appeared. That confirms Abbas has lacked a mandate for seven years. Calling for elections is easy, holding them—especially when one suspects, as Abbas might well, that he would lose to a challenger from Hamas or within his own Fatah movement—dangerous.

Areikat invokes Israel’s “occupation” and “war-mongering” by Israel and its supporters—Krauthammer presumably among them—to explain the absence of Israeli-Palestinian peace. This when A) Israel’s been out of the Gaza Strip since 2005, B) Hamas has used the Strip repeatedly as a base for terrorist bombardments of the Jewish state, C) the PA, in administering area “A” and co-administering area “B” of the West Bank with Israel has jurisdiction over more than 90 percent of the Arab population and D) what remains of Israel’s post-1967 Six-Day War occupation of the disputed territories is not a violation of international law but in fact obligatory under it until peace is negotiated according to U.N. Security Council resolutions 242 and 338.

Areikat, of course, can act as his own Ministry of Propaganda to gull the gullible in promotion of “the Palestinian narrative.” That’s more or less his job description as head of the PLO’s Washington delegation, as CAMERA has shown previously (for example, “Wall Street Journal Lets Palestinian Spokesman Deep-Six the Facts,” June 13, 2012). The real question is why did The Post, which has been known to fact-check letters critical of Palestinian words and deeds, feel compelled to accommodate him?

While much of the American media focuses on the Israeli elections and the fraying of U.S.- Israeli relations, the proxy war between Sunni and Shiite Muslims passed another marker on the road to a full-blown regional confrontation. Saudi Arabia has pulled together a coalition of ten Sunni Muslim regimes, including Pakistan, a non-Arab state that possesses nuclear weapons, and on March 25 initiated military action against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. More than 100 Saudi aircraft reportedly conducted air strikes and Al Arabiya reports the Saudis have mobilized 150,000 troops.

Meanwhile, on March 24, a number of Middle East media sources reported the alleged comments by Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, that Iran has the ability to control events in Jordan as it does in Lebanon and Syria. Iranian media outlets quickly denied these reports as “pure lies.”

Iranian influence over Iraqi Shiite militias leading the Iraqi state’s offensive against ISIS forces in the Sunni stronghold of Tikrit is widely acknowledged. The United States and other Western countries are reportedly providing air support to the Iraqi government forces (including Shiite militias) against ISIS.

So far, Turkey and Israel remain on the sidelines. But that may change as Iran and its proxies push on.

When the US representative indicated it would not take part in today’s meeting United Nations Human Rights Council’s semi-annual meeting on Palestine, or as UN Watch fairly describes it, Hate Israel Day, Reuters was quick to connect the dots, reporting:

The step is unprecedented at the 47-member state forum, where Washington has unfailingly defended Israel since US President Barack Obama became president in 2009.

The decision not to appear follows signals that the Obama administration is undertaking a “reassessment” of relations with the Jewish state.

The wire service, though, was a bit too quick to connect the dots. The move was not, in fact, unprecedented, nor did it portend anything bigger.

The American ambassador to the council, perhaps as a response to spin casting the US absence evidence of the threatened “reassessment,” put out a statement indicating that “Our non-participation in this debate underscores our position that Item 7 lacks legitimacy, as it did last year when we also refrained from speaking.” An Israeli foreign ministry source was quoted in Ynet indicating that the Jewish state requests its allies refrain from participating in the anti-Israel session.

Reuters later removed the word “unprecedented” from the language, and ultimately changed the text to note that the move was “part of a previous agreement not to speak.”

“The decision not to talk since then was part of an agreement in October 2013 when Israel resumed participation in the U.N. Human Rights Council,” the amended article now reads.

Reuters did not send the changes out as a “correction” even though the change was so significant that it completely reversed the premise of its initial story. In response to a question on a a Twitter discussion about the Reuters changes, one journalist suggested a correction would have been the appropriate way to go. We agree.

@GileadIni I hope so. If it had been my story, I would have pushed for a correction.

— Matt Lee (@APDiploWriter) March 24, 2015

In all the coverage of the Israeli elections, in the run-ups and the misguided projections, and in the rending of garments in the aftermath, every statement, nuance and implication has been examined, turned over, re-examined and analyzed.

Given that…

• the Palestinian Authority is greatly overdue for elections of any kind,
• Hamas’ idea of elections in Gaza is throwing political opponents off roofs,
• Lebanon is now dominated by the terrorist group Hezbollah,
• Syria’s rigged elections produced a victory of nearly 90% for Bashar Assad who has now butchered hundreds of thousands of his citizens,
• Iran’s religious leaders select their candidates,
• Egypt’s latest government took power in a military coup,
• Jordan, the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia are ruled by absolute monarchs,
• Iraq’s sectarian government has produced an environment where the savage Islamic State can flourish, oppressing, enslaving and murdering thousands,

…the fact that Israel holds orderly, free and fair elections allowing citizens of all races, ethnicities, religions and political persuasions to vote, is a wonder in and of itself. But rather than celebrate this Middle Eastern miracle, the media choose to harp on any perceived flaw in the process. And there are some, since every human endeavor is flawed, so that may be fair.

That said, what the press has paid precious little attention to is the fact that the person overseeing the recent election, the Chairman of the Central Election Committee, is Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran – an Israeli Arab.

It’s quite difficult to imagine a Baha’i overseeing free and fair Iranian elections, a Yazidi overseeing Iraqi elections, or a Christian overseeing Saudi elections. Yet, an Israeli Arab oversees the Israeli elections. And in the glut of coverage over the Israeli elections, of this important fact, one must ask… Where’s the coverage?

Diaa Hadid, The New York Times’ new recruit to expand the paper’s coverage of Palestinians, misleads in her article today on Israeli Arabs in the upcoming elections (“Arab Alliance Arises as Force in Israeli Elections“):

Unlike Arabs in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, Palestinian citizens of Israel have full voting rights.

Jerusalem Arabs are entitled to Israeli citizenship, which grants them full voting rights. In the last decade alone, over three thousand individuals have joined those Arabs who had already become citizens of Israel.

As The Boston Globe clarified on Feb. 4, 2003:

A Jan. 29 story on the World pages about the Israeli elections was unclear on the voting rights of Palestinians living in Jerusalem. Palestinians living there can seek Israeli citizenship and, if they obtain it, can vote in Israeli elections. If they do not become citizens, they can still vote in municipal elections.

CAMERA has contacted The Times, and a representative has responded that the error will be corrected.

An Israeli-Arab voter drops a ballot into a ballot box during voting in East Jerusalem, February 6, 2001. Most Israeli-Arabs are expected to abstain from voting in a protest against the 13 Israeli-Arabs who were killed during the recent ‘Intifada’ or uprising against Israel. Ariel Sharon appeared poised for a stunning political victory over Prime Minister Ehud Barak as voters began casting ballots Tuesday in an election seen as a referendum on Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians. Photo by Reuters

Update, 7:17 a.m., EST: The New York Times has issued a stealth change to the wording of its online article. The article now states:

Unlike Arabs in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and most Arab residents of East Jerusalem, Palestinian citizens of Israel have full voting rights.

There is no correction appended to the article noting the change.

March 18 Update: New York Times Corrects on Jerusalem Arabs’ Voting Rights

With antisemitic violence on the rise in Europe, CAMERA convened a panel discussion in Jerusalem on March 1 entitled “Framing Israel: Framing Jews: Examining the effects of UK media coverage of Israel on European antisemitism.” In light of recent polling which indicates that over 80 percent of British Jews believe that biased coverage of Israel incites antisemitism, the panelists explored how UK media coverage of Israel influences attitudes towards Jews in Europe and fuels extremism.

Speakers on the panel included Professor Robert S. Wistrich, Neuberger Chair of Modern European and Jewish History at the Hebrew University Jerusalem, Head of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism and author of A Lethal Obsession: Antisemitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad (2010); Lucille Cohen, former President of the Zionist Central Council and the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and representative to the Board of Deputies of British Jews; Adam Levick, managing editor of UK Media Watch (formerly CiF Watch), a CAMERA affiliate and Hadar Sela, managing editor of BBC Watch, a CAMERA affiliate.

Prof. Wistrich painted a gloomy picture for the future of the Jewish community in the UK and British society in general and warned of the prospect of a small minority of alienated young radicals undermining the stability of Jews in the UK.

Adam Levick presented examples of reports and cartoons in the British press which conveyed both overt and covert antisemitic content, with particular reference to the modern uses of the ancient antisemitic blood libel.

Hadar Sela examined what sort of standards the BBC, the world’s biggest broadcaster and self-declared “standard-setter for international journalism,” sets for the corporation’s framing of events in Israel set.

Lucille Cohen described the reaction of the UK Jewish community to increasing antisemitism and the effects of anti-Israel bias in the media.

Moderated by Jerusalem journalist and Voice of Israel broadcaster Judy Lash-Balint, the event marked the launch of UK Media Watch, formerly CiF Watch.

Sunday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, when, according to organizers, “thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements.”

So, it is a bit surprising, given the news media’s focus on the Middle East, that there was no coverage of the fact that, according to a World Economic Forum report, Israel ranks as the best country in the Middle East for women. A Google news search turned up nearly 8.4 million stories on International Women’s Day, but the press did not find this fact newsworthy.

The media did not mention that in educational attainment and health and survival, there is virtually no gender gap in Israel. They were silent on the fact that among technical and professional workers in Israel, women surpass men.

Meanwhile, how does Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party celebrate the achievement of women? By celebrating a female terrorist, Dalal Mughrabi, who led the Coastal Road massacre, an attack which killed 37 Israeli civilians, including 12 children, and wounded 70.

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reports that an image of Mughrabi with text glorifying her attack was posted by Fatah on its official Facebook page, even inflating the number of victims. PMW notes:

In 2010, the PA dedicated a square in Ramallah to Dalal Mughrabi, who led the attack, by naming it after her. That square was also chosen this year by Fatah for a public event taking place today, celebrating its killing of Israeli civilians:

“We will mark the anniversary of the heroic coastal operation (i.e., the Coastal Road massacre), which was led by Martyr (Shahida) Dalal Mughrabi, and the deaths as Martyrs of Dalal and her heroic friends, at 3:30 p.m. across from Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square in Ramallah.”[Facebook, “Fatah – The Main Page,” March 10, 2015]

Palestinian Media Watch has documented that the Palestinian Authority and Fatah present Dalal Mughrabi as a role model for Palestinians, and especially for Palestinian girls, naming at least three girls’ schools after her. Last year, PA TV commemorated Mughrabi by visiting one of the schools. One student said: “My life’s ambition is to reach the level that the Martyr fighter Dalal Mughrabi reached.”

This celebration of murder also deserves media attention. And yet… Where’s the coverage?

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress about the threat of Iran’s nuclear program on March 3, 2015, Liz Sly, The Washington Post’s Bureau Chief in Beirut, conveyed some misinformation to her followers on Twitter.

Sly essentially told her followers that Netanyahu told a falsehood when he attributed an antisemitic quote to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The quote, she indicated through a retweet and two tweets of her own, was a fabrication.

Her first foray into the controversy was a retweet of Nicolas Noe, who said the quote was fabricated in a (now corrected) article posted on his blog. In the article, Noe stated that Netanyahu used a quote from Nasrallah that was likely fabricated.

Here is the tweet Sly retweeted:

During the 10 a.m. CNN news hour on March 5, 2015 in a discussion starting at 10:52 a.m. about the CNN documentary “Finding Jesus,” guest Catholic priest Fr. Jim Martin, author of “Jesus, a pilgrimage,” at 10:55 a.m. used the erroneous phrase “first century Palestine” in conversation with CNN’s Carol Costello. Typically for CNN, Costello was either unaware of or unwilling to correct the error.

Misleading its viewers about Israel is commonplace at CNN (examples here, here, here, here and here).

The problem with the phrase “first century Palestine” is that it reinforces the false Palestinian narrative (and hence, resentment against Israel by the Palestinians and others) that the ancestors of today’s Palestinian Arabs, supposedly the Philistines, preceded the Jews in the land.

The ancient Philistines warred for many years with the Israelites from their 12th century BCE home territory in what is today known as the Gaza Strip (sound familiar?). The Philistines, long gone from world history, were not Arabs. They were most closely related to the Greeks originating from Asia Minor and other Greek areas. They arrived by sea to the coastal area of Gaza adjacent to Israel. They had no physical connection whatsoever with the Arab world. The Arabs now known as “Palestinians” took that name for themselves no earlier than the 1960s. Prior to the 1960s, if Arabs in Palestine defined themselves politically or nationally, generally it was as “southern Syrians.”

When and how did the land on which Jesus is said to have tread come to be known as Palestine? In the second century, the Jews fought against Roman rule for a second time. After the Romans defeated the rebellious Jews in the year 135 CE, they took away the Jewish name, Judea, and replaced it with “Palestina” (naming it for the ancient enemy of the Jews, the Philistines) to punish the Jews and to make an example of them to other peoples considering rebellion. Before that, the term “was not usually applied to Judaea, which in Roman times was still officially and commonly known by that name,” as Bernard Lewis has explained (“Palestine: On the History and Geography of a Name,” The International History Review, January 1, 1980). Since the name of the region was changed over a hundred years after Jesus lived there, it is obviously fallacious to refer to where Jesus lived as “first century Palestine.”

As a member of the clergy, Fr. Martin must be aware of multiple verses in the New Testament that identify the place where Jesus lived as Judea. The Bible version commonly used by the American Catholic Church is the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE). Examples from this version show that “first century Palestine” is an erroneous phrase:

• Luke 1:5: “… King Herod of Judea …”
• Luke 2:4: “Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem …”
• Luke 3:1: “…Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea …”

Furthermore, The name “Palestine” (or any of its variants) is nowhere to be found in the New Testament.