Who Does the Israeli Media Serve?

Yoav Yitzhak, Translated by Elad Benari
Shalomlife.com
16 March '10

The Israeli media has once again tongue-lashed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As usual, due to extraneous considerations. This time on account of Israel's interests in the capital - Jerusalem. No less. The media presents the permit that was given to build 1600 housing units in Ramat Shlomo (Tuesday, 09.03.10), as a lawless, disturbed and illegitimate move - designed, ostensibly, to thwart the proximity talks with the Palestinians.

This means that the big media outlets - television channels (Channel 2 and 10), and the newspapers Yediot Aharonot, Maariv and Haaretz, give a seal of approval to stop construction in Jerusalem. These media outlets not only denied through their publications this week Israel’s right to make decisions during a seemingly volatile time, but also Israel’s right to build in controversial areas such as Ramat Shlomo; and also the public's right to receive what was promised to it by the chosen government. Thus the media serves the Palestinian interest. Netanyahu's unnecessary apology - rather than standing erect and saying: This is the elected government’s policy – as he was startled by the criticism and pulled into it as if possessed by a demon, "played" even more to the Palestinian side.

A stranger might come to think mistakenly, that he is watching broadcasts and reading newspapers by the Palestinian Authority in Hebrew, and not Israeli-Jewish media. A stranger from a distant land might get confused and think that the regional committee in Jerusalem was supposed to get a permit from Ramallah before approving the construction of housing units in Ramat Shlomo, even though it is land wholly owned by the Israel Lands Administration.

Most commentators have enlisted to blast Netanyahu and present him as an empty display, and the arms of government as conducting themselves in a wanton way, in order to thwart the visit/mission of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Israel. The media refrained from giving appropriate expression to the simple facts and thus failed in their role. Those facts are:

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Shurat HaDin wins court victory for Jewish families In Jaffa

Shurat HaDin
For Immediate Release
25 February '10

The Tel Aviv District Court handed down a ruling that Jewish families, who had won a public tender to purchase land in the Tel-Aviv suburb of Jaffa, are entitled to go forward with their plans to construct a multi-family building. The families' rights to build had been challenged in court by a coalition of Arab-Israelis and politically motivated NGOs. The coalition demanded that the families' bid be disqualified by the court based solely upon the fact that they are Jewish and that their presence in Jaffa will tip the demographic balance of the neighborhood and discriminates against Arabs.

Several months ago, the families submitted a joint bid on a plot of land in Jaffa which had been offered up in a public auction by the Israel Lands Authority (ILA). The families planned to build a residential building, with twenty apartments, on the plot. A competing, lower bid was submitted by an Arab contractor. After considering all the bids, the ILA awarded the rights to the Jewish group.

Following the families' victory, a coalition of twenty-five Israeli-Arabs from Jaffa, along with three Israeli human rights NGOs, filed a petition in the Tel Aviv District Court against the ILA, insisting that the families' successful bid be disqualified. The coalition argued that since the families intended to build apartments primarily for Jewish citizens, the ILA - a government agency - had somehow discriminated against the Arab contractor and Arab residents of Jaffa in conducting the public auction. The petitioners argued that the local Arab population of Jaffa suffers from a housing shortage and that the court should issue an injunction against building any apartments, unless the builders agree to allocate housing units specifically for Arabs!

To fight for their rights, the families had turned to Shurat HaDin to
represent them in court.

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