Israel Resource Review |
19th June, 2001 |
Contents:
Sharon and Katsav Refuse to Help Pollard
Yaffa Goldstein
Senior Features Writer, HaTzofeh
Israel succeeded in obtaining a pardon for Marc Rich, a billionaire
fugitive from the law who never spent a day in prison. Israel even
bailed Goussinsky out of his troubles with the Soviet Union, "rescuing"
him from house-arrest in a villa in Spain. In both cases neither one
ever rotted in prison for serving the State of Israel; in fact neither
one ever spent even a day in prison. Israel has repeatedly demonstrated
that it knows how to work intensively behind the scenes with foreign
governments to achieve its goals.
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But the case of Jonathan Pollard is another story. Somehow, the State of
Israel just can't seem to rescue Pollard. After all, what did Pollard
do? He was no billionaire like Rich or Goussinsky, filling people's
pockets with money. All Pollard did was to give the State of Israel
vital security information about the preparations Iraq and other Arab
States were undertaking to destroy the Jewish State. This information,
deliberately withheld from Israel by the United States, allowed Israel
to be prepared for the Gulf War and for the on-going threat to her
existence.
Message from America
A window of opportunity to free Pollard opened just before Passover
2001. A senior American official sympathetic to the case sent a message
to the Pollards that President Bush would be open to a Passover request
for clemency if it were presented by an important religious figure
acting as an official representative of the Government of Israel. The
official said he believed that such a request would make it easy on Bush
to make this holiday gesture to Israel on a humanitarian basis.
Pollard's severely deteriorated health, the result of 16 years of
incarceration in the harshest circumstances, would be factored into the
humanitarian gesture as well.
When this became known, the former Chief Rabbi of Israel, HaRav Mordecai
Eliyahu immediately sought a meeting with the Prime Minister, Ariel
Sharon. He was accompanied to the meeting by Minister Rechavaam Ze'evi,
attorney Larry Dub, and Jonathan's wife, Esther. Although Esther is not
in good health herself, the result of a brush with cancer, she
immediately put aside all else to fly to Israel for the meeting with the
Prime Minister.
The meeting was held 4 days before Seder night. The original request had
been made much earlier.
"Just the fact that His Honor HaRav Eliyahu was willing to drop
everything on the Eve of the Holiday to go to Washington, shows just how
convinced he was that he would be able to fulfill the mitzvah of pidyan
shvuyim and succeed in gaining Jonathan's release, " said Rabbi Shmuel
Zafrani, spokesperson for the Rav and head of the Meiri Yeshiva in
Jerusalem. "The Rav was willing to fly to Washington right up to the
last moment before the Holiday so that Pollard would be freed."
The Prime Minister is Not Impressed
The only one who was not impressed by the urgent message about a window
of opportunity that had come from America was the prime minister, Ariel
Sharon. "All of our attempts to even get a meeting with the Prime
Minister were initially rebuffed," Esther recalls. "We then enlisted the
help of the Rechvaam Ze'evi, Minister of Tourism. It was only because
of Ze'evi's persistence that the meeting was finally scheduled. Even
then, the Prime Minister's office kept rescheduling the meeting, using
the most implausible excuses, trying to frustrate us into cancelling. Of
course we did not."
Esther Pollard adds, "The Prime Minister's lack of responsiveness to
this golden opportunity was terribly disappointing, but consistent with
his past lack of action. For example, some years ago I met with Mr.
Sharon when he was Leader of the Opposition. I gave him a request from
Jonathan that he write a specific letter on Jonathan's behalf, which he
readily promised to do. We are still waiting for the letter."
After a brief pause, she continues, "I am at a loss to understand this
kind of attitude on the part of the Government of Israel. We are talking
about a bona fide Israeli agent who has done so much for Israel,
including spending the last 16 years of his life in an American prison
on behalf of the Jewish State, and I, his wife, have to plead for a
meeting with the Prime Minister? Something is just not right here."
HATZOFEH: Are you sure that the Prime Minister's Office did not agree to
your request for a meeting before the intervention of Minister Ze'evi?
POLLARD: " Let me give you an example. A week after the meeting with
Prime Minister Sharon took place, our attorney Larry Dub received a
letter from the Prime Minister's office responding to his original
request for a meeting, made a month earlier. Larry received the PM's
response April 11; it was dated March 8th. It rejected the request for a
meeting and indicated a complete lack of interest on the part of the
Prime Minister in any aspect of the Pollard case. The letter indicated
that "for all matters pertaining to the Pollard case [we should] contact
Mr. Moshe Kochanovsky, who is in charge of this issue."
This kind of insidious and insincere response from the Government has
plagued Esther Pollard for years. It was the standard response of the
Barak Government which re-appointed Moshe Kochanovsky, supposedly to
oversee the Pollard case. Kochanovsky has no authority actually to
assist the Pollards and he certainly has no standing in Washington to
seek Pollard's release He was appointed as nothing more than a "dead
letter drop" to assist the Government in dispensing with the Pollard
issue. In fact, Kochanovsky is so irrelevant to the Pollard case that
Sharon did not even include him in the meeting.
Kochanovsky had previously resigned from the case before being
reinstated by the Barak government. The Government claimed that
Kochanovsky was responsible for all aspects of the case, yet in reality
he had no authority to do anything to minimize the suffering of the
Pollards, not even to help them secure financial assistance. For this he
referred them to the Prime Minister's legal advisor. The Pollards were
told to submit a list of their expenses and receipts which would be
studied and then a decision would be taken whether or not to pay them
anything at all. This stands in marked contrast to standard government
policy which assures that all agents in captivity receive a salary - no
questions asked- which goes to their wives or families. But for Pollard,
just empty promises and not a cent.
Larry Dub inadvertently tested the willingness of the Government to make
good on its promises of financial assistance when Dub was invited by
the Government to submit a bill for payment of his legal services. He
was told that his bill would initiate a process to negotiate payment.
Dub never saw a cent. Instead, at a particularly delicate moment when a
case Dub had filed for Pollard in Israel's Supreme Court was about to be
decided, Dub's bill wound up being splashed across the pages of the
Israeli press, calling into question his motive for representing
Pollard.
President Katsav Also Refuses
The message about the possibility that Bush would look favorably upon an
official request to free Pollard for the Passover Holiday if made by an
important religious figure, also reached President Moshe Katsav. Katsav
was asked to include the Rishon leTzion, Ha Rav Mordecai Eliyahu, in his
official delegation which was about to travel to Washington to meet with
the new American President. To this day, Katsav has never officially
responded to HaRav Eliyahu or to Jonathan Pollard's request.
Esther Pollard: "The only response we know of we received via a third
party, who repeated to us what he had been told by one of Katsav's
people. According to Katsav's advisor for political affairs, there
were 2 reasons why Katsav would not include HaRav Eliyahu in his
delegation: a) because "only professionals could accompany Katsav" - an
absurd claim, and b) because "if the Rav is so influential in
Washington, then let him arrange his own meeting with Bush."
Jonathan Pollard has written to Katsav in the past. He sent a letter to
the President which was hand-delivered by Dani Naveh. In it Pollard
asked the newly-elected President of Israel to mention his name in his
inaugural address. Pollard explained that by mentioning his name when
the eyes of the world would be upon him, and expressing support for the
Israeli agent, his lot in prison would be eased, at least temporarily,
and a new momentum for his case might be initiated. But Katsav made only
oblique reference to Israel's POWs and MIAs and no reference at all to
Pollard.
In despair, Pollard again wrote to Katsav on May 13, 2001. Among other
things, the letter said:
" My rabbi, His Honor HaRav Mordecai Eliyahu wishes to accompany you to
your upcoming meeting with President Bush. It is his goal to fulfill the
mitzvah of pidyan shvuyim and with G-d's help to secure my release . . .
Not so long ago, in your own hour of need, you turned to HaRav Eliyahu
for help and asked him to intercede in Heaven on your behalf . . He
responded to your request without delay, offered you comfort support and
advice, and did all that you asked of him . . .
Mr. Katsav, isn't it ironic that that when you needed the help of HaRav
Eliyahu, you did not hesitate to turn to him, and now when the Rav turns
to you for assistance in the name of Heaven, you do not hesitate to
refuse him.
It is possible that you were elected to the Presidency of Israel
precisely for such an occasion as this. If the Rav accompanies you to
Washington to meet with the American President, G-d will be with you
and you surely will succeed. How can you possibly refuse?
But Katsav did indeed refuse.
The Prime Minister Promises to Answer
When the meeting with the Prime Minister finally took place, HaRav
Eliyahu, Minister Ze'evi, Attorney Larry Dub and wife Esther Pollard
each reported to the Prime Minister, one after the other, that Jonathan
Pollard's very life was at risk . His health, they reported, is poor
and deteriorating daily as a result of his long years in the harshest
conditions in prison, and that if he is not released soon, he will
likely die. Sharon listened politely, smiled from time to time, and
appeared to be taking notes. "When we got up to leave we notice that
what we assumed were notes on the important points of the meeting were
instead just doodlings," said Esther Pollard, who felt she was watching
her hopes for the new window of opportunity for her husband's release
being dashed.
Finally the Prime Minister rose as if to signal the end of the meeting,
promised to look into the request to send the Rav to Washington and to
get back to them with a response.
"To this day we still have not received an answer and not only is
Passover long since gone, so is Shavuot, " says Rav Eliyahu's
spokesperson, Rabbi Shmuel Zafrani. He adds: "Over the years we could
not help but notice that there is something mysterious and underhanded
about the Israeli Government's handling of the Pollard issue."
No doubt he is correct. All the questions that have been put to the
Prime Minister's spokesperson for years, including our own questions,
have all been met with the same implausible response, without exception.
It is hard to understand how they do not get tired of recycling the same
old response - which underscores their indifference - a response which
is readily contradicted by the reality of how very little they have
done for this man for the last 16 years.
Even the official Israeli recognition that Pollard was a bona fide agent
came about only as a result of a series of lawsuits that Pollard filed
in Israel's Supreme Court. And by the time that that occurred in 1998,
Pollard was already a veteran in the American prison system.
The only one who did not use the standard response to silence Pollard
appears to be Binyamin Netanyahu. Unlike Ehud Barak who completely
rebuffed Pollard, Binyamin Netanyahu did not see any harm in openly
seeking Pollard's release - especially after he had been in prison for
14 years and absolutely no progress had been made through "quiet
diplomacy."
"The unavoidable conclusion to be drawn," says Esther Pollard, in fluent
and polished Hebrew, "is that they simply do not want Jonathan out of
prison." She explains, "Why the Americans feel this way is simple:
Jonathan continues to be a convenient tool for those elements within the
Administration who have no use for the US - Israel special relationship.
These officials routinely exploit the case as a means of calling into
question both Israel's reliability as an ally and the American Jewish
community's loyalty. As well, successive Administrations have found the
case useful for squeezing dangerous concessions from Israel.
"But the big question," Esther adds, " is why is Israel cooperating? Why
doesn't Israel want Jonathan out? For example, Jonathan's release was
obtained at Wye as an integral part of the Wye Accords. According to
Binyamin Netanyahu and other officials who negotiated the deal at Wye,
Ehud Barak was well aware of this when he released the 750 murderers and
terrorists who were the price paid for Jonathan's release. When Barak
released the murderers why didn't he insist that the US live up to its
end of the deal ? Sharon was an eye witness to the deal made at Wye. Why
isn't he insisting on Jonathan's release?"
Pollard Turns to his Rabbi
When it became obvious to the Pollards that the Sharon Government was
not taking any initiative to secure Jonathan's release, Jonathan turned
to his rabbi, the former chief rabbi of Israel, HaRav Mordecai Eliyahu.
HaRav Eliyahu has visited Pollard in prison numerous times over the
years. His first visit occurred while Jonathan was held in solitary
confinement in USP Marion, the harshest prison in the federal system.
As a result of a broken plea agreement Pollard was cast into USP Marion,
where he spent nearly 7 years in solitary confinement. In the plea
agreement, Pollard pled guilty, gave up his right to a trial, cooperated
fully with the Government, and in return was assured a lighter sentence
- the median sentence for such an offense being 2 to 4 years of actual
jail time and in many cases even less. Instead, in complete violation of
the plea agreement, Pollard found himself slapped with a life sentence
and locked away in Marion.
"The Rav's first visit to Jonathan in Marion shocked and stunned us. The
harshness of his treatment was out of all proportion," says Rabbi
Zafrani who has repeatedly accompanied Rabbi Eliyahu in his prison
visits to Pollard. "Right from the start there was a special bond
between the Rav and Jonathan and since that first visit the Rav has
consistently done everything in his power to try to free him."
Among other things, the Rav has met with various American officials
including former President Reagan and the late Cardinal Law who was the
spiritual advisor to George Bush Sr. Rav Eliyahu repeatedly wrote to
President Clinton offering take Pollard into his personal custody and be
his guarantor. He had also made the same offer to the Justice Department
under Bush Sr.'s Administration.
"If anyone would tell HaRav Eliyahu, 'drop everything you are doing and
fly to Washington to meet an American official in order to free
Pollard,' the Rav would drop everything and go. That is because he sees
the mitzvah of pidyan shvuyim for Jonathan Pollard as being of the
utmost urgency and importance."
In February of 2001, the Rav again visited Jonathan in prison. He found
Pollard in dangerously poor health, not getting the medical treatment he
needs, oppressed in every way, sometimes even forced to work on Jewish
holidays. If Pollard refuses to do as he is ordered he will be punished
even more severely and deprived of the few inmate rights that he still
has.
And what is going on in Israel in the meantime? To this day Prime
Minister Sharon has not responded to HaRav Eliyahu. According to Esther
Pollard, Minister Ze'evi spoke with Sharon after their meeting and
learned that, "Sharon has no intention of doing anything for Jonathan
Pollard . . not this week, not next week, not next month, and not next
year. Not at all." Esther said that Ze'evi told her, "I am ashamed. I
am utterly ashamed of the response I received from the Prime Minister."
What is Really Behind Israel's Silent Treatment?
All of the Israeli figures who have at various times taken up the cause
of Jonathan Pollard have met with the same response that is given to
Israeli journalists who want to write about the case and who have been
asking the same questions for the last 16 years. All are rebuffed with
the same worn out excuse that " Owing to the sensitivity of the Pollard
case, silence is the best approach. Any publicity given to the matter
can only hurt Pollard's chances."
The writer of this article asked Prime Minister Sharon's spokesperson
why it is that after so many years of successive prime ministers
claiming that they were secretly working for Pollard's release - secret
initiatives that have obviously failed - why doesn't the Government just
come out now and state publicly for all the world to hear that it has
not abandoned Pollard, that it has not forgotten him and that, in spite
of any embarrassment that his case caused the State of Israel, Israel
owes him a debt of gratitude. There was no response from the Prime
Minister's office.
The writer made a second attempt to get a response from the Prime
Minister. I asked what he is afraid of? Netanyahu secured the promise of
Pollard's release as part of the Wye Accords, so what is there to fear?
The world did not come to an end when this became known publicly. Even
Bill Clinton didn't faint when the name Pollard was spoken aloud. On the
contrary, Clinton even promised to free him. Of course in typical
Clinton fashion, he ultimately reneged on America's end of the deal.
Nevertheless, the question remains: Why is Sharon so afraid to collect
on the commitment that was secured by Netanyahu at Wye?
A woman, one of the Prime Minister's spokespersons, carefully wrote down
my comments and my questions and promised to pass them on. She said that
the only response she could give me for the moment is the official one:
that the Government is working on Pollard's release but can't reveal
what it is doing. I never received any further response to my questions.
All of this amounts to what is essentially the silent treatment.
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Anthony Weiner have each
separately attempted to find out once and for all, the truth about the
Pollard case. In the last year, both of these legislators have had
briefings by American Intelligence officials and have seen the Pollard
file. Both Weiner and Schumer have publicly stated that they saw nothing
in the file and heard nothing in their respective briefings which would
even remotely justify the harsh sentence Pollard received.
Even the old canard that Pollard was responsible for the deaths of
American agents in the Soviet Union has long been laid to rest. The true
culprit, Aldrich Ames, was caught, indicted, and convicted of these
crimes. But Pollard continues to be accused in the press by unnamed
government sources" of crimes that he never committed. These claims are
made only in the court of public opinion, never in a court of law where
Pollard might have the opportunity to challenge his accusers and to
demand that they produce evidence. There is, of course, no evidence.
Nevertheless, Pollard remains in prison.
Following President Katsav's refusal to include Rav Eliyahu in his
delegation to Washington, I contacted Katsav's office and spoke with his
spokesperson. She said that Katsav had investigated, and his "sources"
indicated that the only one who could possibly secure Pollard's release
would be a politician. She said that Katsav had worked and would
continue to work for Pollard's release. Obviously she must have been
referring to those official Israeli "sources" who have been peddling the
same old song-and-dance routine to Israeli journalists for the last 16
years that, "Initiatives for Pollard's release are on-going but cannot
be discussed for fear of doing damage."
At this time, Pollard has two new cases before the courts in America.
One of them seeks access to the secret portions of his sentencing
record. Since the day he was sentenced to life in prison, in complete
violation of his plea agreement, neither Pollard nor his attorneys has
ever been allowed to access the documents again to challenge them in a
court of law - a complete violation of his constitutional due process
rights. The other case demonstrates, with full documentation, that
Jonathan Pollard was sentenced on the basis of falsehood and lies,
without effective assistance of counsel. Pollard's American attorneys
have asked the court to vacate Jonathan's unjustly-obtained sentence and
for the first time to hold a full hearing of all the evidence in the
case. Both of these cases will take a long time to make their way
through the system, and Pollard runs the risk of dying in prison before
they are fully heard.
The new legal documents represent a higher level of proof of the
justness of Israel's request for Pollard's release. Israel could use
these documents to save his life, but has yet to act. Pollard's
American attorneys sought a meeting with Sharon the last time that he
was in the United States. They offered to brief him on the legal cases
and to assist him in his efforts to seek Jonathan's release, if he were
so inclined. Their offer was rejected.
"Look, if it were only me or Jonathan's lawyers who were saying so, then
you might be able to dismiss us. But in this case it is the Rishon
leTzion, the former Chief Rabbi of Israel, who is on record that we are
talking about a man who is so ill that he is facing imminent death in
prison, G-d forbid, if something is not done immediately to save him,"
says Esther in a heartbroken voice, "and still they do nothing."
Both she and Jonathan are ill. And, after sixteen long years that this
tragic affair has dragged on, people are tired of hearing the details.
"But I will never stop fighting for Jonathan, and we will never stop
believing in a miracle," Esther declares.
This artcile ran in Hatzofeh Magazine on June 1, 2001
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Colonel Jibreel Rajoub: Application of cease-fire to settlers . .
Colonel Rajoub Describes Israel's Breaches of the Tenet Work Plan
[IMRA: Below is the complete text of an item prepared by the PA's media
center.
Please note the difference between the comments below and the commitment by
Yasser Arafat in that first letter to Yitzchak Rabin on September 9, 1993
(and as repeated in the agreements): "The PLO commits itself to the Middle
East peace process, and to a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the
two sides and declares that all outstanding issues relating to permanent
status will be resolved through negotiations."]
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Palestine Media Center (PMC) Sunday, June 17, 2001
Today 17 June, Palestinian chief of Preventive Security in the West Bank,
Colonel Jibreel Rajoub held a press conference at the Palestine Media Center
(PMC). The conference addressed the continued Israeli settlers' attacks and
Israeli breaches of the ceasefire work plan.
The Colonel began by stating that the Palestine National Authority had
announced a ceasefire in response to a number of Arab, regional, and
international initiatives - the last of which was Mr. Tenet's plan - that
aimed to put an end to the bloodshed in the area. "Working with it [the work
plan] represents a serious effort on the part of the Palestinian leadership,
to establish a ceasefire in preparation for political negotiations."
Col. Rajoub added, "For the Palestine National Authority (PNA), a ceasefire
means the following: First, an end to all aggressions, beginning with the
use of a firearm and ending with using warplanes. Secondly, a ceasefire
means reining in on the Israeli settlers' actions and their continued
attacks against the Palestinian civilians' persons, property, and pride
throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Thirdly, an end to all aggressions
against the Palestinian land, including razings, building new Israeli
settlements or enlarging the existing ones. Fourthly, an end to all the
humiliating actions taken against our civilians on the Israeli occupation
army's checkpoints. A ceasefire also means that it would apply to all the
Palestinian land, whether it remains under Israeli occupation or is
currently under Palestinian control."
He emphasized, "Occupied East Jerusalem is included to this area because of
its status as an occupied Palestinian territory. Any aggression against our
civilians in these areas constitutes a breach of the ceasefire."
Col. Rajoub emphasized the PNA's commitment to the enforcement of the
ceasefire as a first step towards reestablishing political negotiations. He
elaborated that in order to enforce the ceasefire, two things must be
achieved. "The first being the removal of all the elements of tension in the
area, including the siege, closures, releasing all the political prisoners,
and putting an end to all [Israeli] settlement activities and controlling
the Israeli settlers' actions. The second issue is the immediate and serious
return to negotiations, governed by a set time-table so that the Palestinian
People can once again have hope for their future." The Col. stressed that
without the implementation of these two items, the "result would only be a
temporary truce, after which the region would once again explode."
The Colonel pointed out that the government must decide whether it considers
the ceasefire applicable to the settlers or not. The Col. emphasized that
the Israeli settlers' attacks during the past week can only be considered as
"a clear violation of the ceasefire".
Col. Rajoub then emphasized that the Palestinian leadership and political
forces "are united in their commitment to secure the success of the
ceasefire." However, the ceasefire can not continue while the closure,
settlement activities, and continuous aggressions against the Palestinian
People persist, the Colonel explained.
The Colonel underscored that the Palestinian leadership made its objections
to certain items of the work plan known. Most important of these, according
to Mr. Rajoub, is the Palestinian leadership's rejection of creating buffer
zones.
Mr. Rajoub also stated that all actions, present and future, shall be guided
by international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. The Col.
concluded by emphasizing that the American intervention came once an all out
explosion in the region became eminent. He stated, "the application of
international law and legitimacy is the only way to secure stability in the
region. However, if Israel does not respect the sincere international
efforts to bring about stability and peace to the region, it will bring
calamity upon the entire region".
The Conference concluded at 12:30 p.m.
www.palestine-pmc.com/statements/17_6_2001_statement.html
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Arafat Comments on his Conditions for a Ceasefire Continuation
MEMRI News Wire: June 19, 2001
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Arafat, speaking to the Arab Monitoring Committee in Amman,
on June 18, 2001: "The cease fire and all other security
measures, agreements and meetings will not last if Israel
does not halt its settlements, old and new, take immediate
steps to stop its aggression, lift its military, economic
and financial siege and its security blockade, open our
international passes and engages in direct negotiations to
bring an end to the Israeli occupation, eliminate Israeli
settlements, let the Palestinian people build its
independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its
capital, and solve the Palestinian refugee problem on the
basis of UN resolution 194 . . ."
Source: Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 19, 2001.
Acknowledgement:
Yigal Carmon
President
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Website: www.memri.org
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an
independent, non-profit organization that translates and
analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles
and documents cited, as well as background information, are
available on request.
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A letter from Norway: A Call to Reveal Antisemitism in Norway
Erez Uriely
My wife and I are Israeli Jews living in Norway in the last years. I am a biologist and web designer and my wife is a chemist researcher. We established an organization that balances the media war against Israel. There are Christians and Jews all working together, supported by about 30 organizations.
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The Norwegian press is mobilizing against Jews in a horrifying way. The same antisemitic arguments used 50 years ago are used now against Israel, i.e. Jews.
Pro-Israeli articles are not published in newspapers.
Pro-Israeli facts are not subject for radio and TV.
Almost every single day Norwegians TV and other media attack Israel. If they don't find strong enough arguments, stronger interviews are imported from international sources, as long as they blame the Jews.
During the Holocaust it was Norwegian people who collected the Jews and sent them to Auschwitz, not Germans. The Jews here remember it and are frightened, so many don't support Israel from fear of being identified.
Attacks on Jews occurred, even if not to the extent of physical violence as known in central Europe.
Emails with antisemitic stereotypes are every day "pleasure". Last time I got an antisemitic telephone call was yesterday. A man called and told me that the terrible things that happen "down there" are because Jews continue to behave violently and crude, continuing their way as described in the Bible: people who abandon The Lords ways and every short period do crimes against The Lord and humanity. The reason why we all suffer there, he said, is because we killed Jesus and never accepted him as Messiah. He explained that it is natural that we now "kill Palestinian children and steal their land" .
The ideas are old and Norwegian media use the same arguments.
The mobilization of the main (governmental) Norwegian TV and radio channel, NRK, is well documented by the editor of the excellent Norwegian newspaper Dagen, Odd Sverre Hove. We can soon publish a translation to English of this three month work beginning from September 2000. He investigated every day media bias and published the report. However, Norwegian media, not only NRK, refuses to discuss any criticism of itself. Therefore, Israel is under a growing danger of isolation also by Norway and Jews are exposed to growing hatred.
Last Saturday many 700-800 Norwegians demonstrated for Israel.
As a rule, Norwegians do not demonstrate.
Please contact us to help Israel.
Norwegian expert on Norwegian media bias and Israel (klik below for JP interview with him):
Odd Sverre Hove, odd.sverre.hove@dagen.no
tel: (+47) 5555 9701 mobile: (+47) 9776 5024
www.dagen.no
private: p. (+47) 5617 0988
I will be glad to contact and help our nation as much as I can. I am available anytime for Hebrew/English interview:
Erez Uriely, uriely@online.no
Israeli activist and organizser of media balancing activity in Norway
tel/fax: (+47) 69921422; mobile: (+47) 917 06 146
Norwegian media bias - 'the worst in Europe'
(June 18: 12:45) A demonstration was held by both Christian and Jewish groups outside The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) building in Oslo, Norway over the weekend to protest the pro-Palestinian coverage of the intifada.
RM: www.jpradio.com/ram/010618hov.ram.
MP: www.jpradio.com/asx/010618hov.asx.
Thank you very much and peace for Jerusalem
Address and tel:
Erez Uriely
Seljeveien 18, 1825 Tomter, Norway
E-mail: uriely@online.no
Tel/Fax: (+47) 6992 1422
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