Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East.
(From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Wednesday 6 April 2016

David Singer: Internet Manipulation Fuels Anti-Israel and Anti-Jewish Hatred

Here's the latest article by Sydney lawyer and international affairs analyst David Singer.

He writes:

Internet manipulation of readers’ comments in response to articles published on overtly anti-Israel and anti-Jewish web sites is allowing those web sites to spew out their venom unchecked and uncontrolled.

Freedom of speech on these web sites is non-existent – and its absence is playing a large part in influencing the opinions of those who visit these sites and see no readers’ comments that act as a counterbalance or rebuttal to the article published or readers’ comments supporting such articles.

Such manipulation has until now taken either of the following forms:
1. Simply not publishing a reader’s comment.
The editor can claim to exercise editorial control of what appears on his web-site – and there is nothing you can really do about it.
I received this treatment when seeking to comment on the decision by McGraw Hill to trash the remaining copies of a text book, Global Politics: Engaging a Complex World  – after four maps of “Palestine” in 1946, 1947, 1948-1967 and 2000 were subsequently determined by McGraw Hill to be inaccurate and misleading.
My comment detailing why McGraw Hill’s decision was justified was not published.
This rejection motivated me to write an article “Palestine – Internet Intifada Denies Free Speech” – which was published on many web sites –  and subsequently went viral.
2. Publishing readers’ comments – overwhelmingly anonymous – that do not address the subject matter of the article but comprise general comments repeated over and over again  – such as “ethnic cleansing”, apartheid” and “stealing Palestinian land” –  denigrating and delegitimising both Israel and Jews.
A web site using both of these manipulative practices in tandem represents a web site where only the Arab narrative of the Jewish-Arab conflict is presented and the Jewish narrative is deliberately suppressed and excluded.

Now a far more serious form of manipulation to those outlined above has been exposed,  involving the initial publication  –  but subsequent deletion –  of readers’ comments some considerable time after they have first been published.


Again – I have been the recipient of this highly offensive and objectionable practice in relation to the identical comment posted by me supporting McGraw Hill’s decision on another anti-Israel and anti-Jewish web site.

Two comments were initially posted by two other people on this website criticising the McGraw Hill decision to trash – and were published on 20 March and 26 March. So far – no problem.

My comment was published on 29 March – no problem.

My comment drew a very virulent and hate-filled response from an anonymous third reader on 29 March – resulting in the exchange of a further seven published comments from each of us to the other – ending on 2 April with the following post by me: 
“You seem intent on not wanting to answer this one simple question:
“Do you consider the maps withdrawn by McGraw Hill to be inaccurate and misleading because they did not show the Negev to be “desert bedouin land” as you yourself have claimed?
All you need do is answer “Yes” or “No”.
That is not too hard for you is it?”
Imagine my complete surprise – when I visited the site the following day to see if a response had been posted – to find that all eleven comments published between 20 March – 2 April had been deleted by the web editor and the comments section totally removed.

Luckily I had taken a photo shot of all eleven comments posted.

Otherwise you might not have believed it possible that hostility and antagonism towards Israel and Jews could stoop to such low levels.

Beware hate-filled Arab propagandists who want to conceal the truth at any cost.


2 comments:

  1. According to a report by the Open Doors organization, the top-ten-worst countries for anti-Christian persecution in year 2015 were: North Korea, Iraq, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Iran and Libya.

    All these nations are ruled by Communists or Muslims or both.

    Notice that none of those nations are being targeted by the BDS movement.

    SOURCE: 2015 Was Not a Good Year For Jews and Christians Living in Muslim Lands, an article by Martin Barillas 2016 January 18, published by Spero News
    www.speroforum.com/a/FTVWPWVWSF49/77129-2015-was-not-a-good-year-for-Jews-and-Christians-living-in-Muslim-lands#.VwQPZnktA5s

    ReplyDelete
  2. ***********************************************
    Three Surprising Critics of the
    Anti-Israel BDS Movement
    ***********************************************


    [1] Peace Now, one of the Left’s most well-known organizations that never misses an opportunity to harshly criticize the Israeli government, has stated that BDS is tantamount to collective punishment.

    [2] Professor Norman Finkelstein, another much-admired voice of the Left, who has made many vicious statements against Israel, has disavowed the BDS campaign and called it: “silliness, childishness, and a lot of leftist posturing.”

    [3] Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, has denounced the BDS movement. (Will wonders never cease?)

    He said: “No, we do not support the boycott of Israel. We do not ask anyone to boycott Israel itself. We have relations with Israel. We have mutual relations with Israel.”

    SOURCE: Unmasking the BDS Movement, by Dave Gordon, found in Community Magazine, April 2016, page 28

    ReplyDelete

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