{"id":14984,"date":"2012-02-04T20:38:35","date_gmt":"2012-02-04T16:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/?p=14984"},"modified":"2012-02-04T20:44:36","modified_gmt":"2012-02-04T16:44:36","slug":"press-freedom-sickly-in-israel-and-turkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/middle-east-business\/middle-east-media-analysis\/press-freedom-sickly-in-israel-and-turkey\/","title":{"rendered":"Press Freedom Sickly in Israel and Turkey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Over the past day or so, a fierce fight has erupted between Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan and New York Jewish author, Paul Auster. \u00a0The controversy began when Auster, whose new book was recently published in Turkey,\u00a0announced to an opposition newspaper<\/a>\u00a0that he refused to visit that country to promote it. \u00a0In the process, he blasted Turkey\u2019s Islamist government for jailing authors and journalists:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI refuse to come to\u00a0Turkey\u00a0because of imprisoned journalists and writers. How many are jailed now? Over 100?\u201d Auster said, adding that\u00a0Turkey\u00a0was the country he was most worried about.<\/p>\n

\u201cUs democrats got rid of the Bushes. We got rid of \u00a0Cheney who should have been put on trial for war crimes,\u201d the author said. \u201cWhat is going on in Turkey?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Erdogan, who suffers neither fools nor political opponents gladly,\u00a0lashed out at Auster<\/a>\u00a0during a party conference, telling the author that Turkey didn\u2019t need him to lecture it on how to be a democracy:<\/p>\n

\u201cAuthor Paul Auster\u2026said he will not come to Turkey\u00a0as he finds it anti-democratic because of arrested journalists. \u00a0Oh! \u00a0We were much in need of you! \u00a0[So] What if you come or not?\u201d Erdo?an said during a party meeting yesterday.<\/p>\n

Criticizing Kemal K?l?\u00e7daro?lu, leader of the main opposition Republican People\u2019s Party (CHP), and the newspapers for giving credit to Auster\u2019s statements, Erdo?an asked, \u201cWill\u00a0Turkey\u00a0lose altitude if you don\u2019t come?\u201d<\/p>\n

Recalling that Auster joined a book fair in 2010 in\u00a0Israel\u00a0where he described\u00a0Israel\u00a0as a \u201csecular, democratic country,\u201d Erdo?an slammed the\u00a0American\u00a0writer for being unaware of the fact\u00a0Israel\u00a0was a non-secular state and had killed thousands of innocent people in the Gaza Strip. \u201cI am sure K?l?\u00e7daro?lu and Auster will join together for this year\u2019s book fair in Israel,\u201d he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Auster replied to Erdogan\u2019s attack with\u00a0this statement<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Whatever the Prime Minister might think about the state of Israel, the fact is that free speech exists there and no writers or journalists are in jail\u2026All countries are flawed and beset by myriad problems, Mr. Prime Minister, including my United States, including your Turkey, and it is my firm conviction that in order to improve conditions in our countries, in every country, the freedom to speak and publish without censorship or the threat of imprisonment is a sacred right for all men and women.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While I don\u2019t know Auster\u2019s views about Israel, I presume he\u2019s the typical liberal Zionist. \u00a0The brief substantive exchange he included about it in his reply indicated a fairly standard lib Zionist approach to the issue of Israel\u2019s so-called democratic values, including press freedom and free speech. \u00a0It\u2019s a shame he didn\u2019t do his homework, as if he had he could\u2019ve both bolstered his criticism of Turkey and done justice to the issue of the grave threats facing Israeli democracy.<\/p>\n

There is no question that while Turkey as a nation has made great economic and political strides under Erdogan\u2019s Islamist party, that country remains deficient in many areas which are well-known to many. \u00a0Kurds are denied basic rights, acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide is a crime, and freedoms that many in the west take for granted are routinely threatened in Turkey. \u00a0All of this is undeniably true. \u00a0As a friend of mine married to a Turk and living there says: while there is more freedom of speech than there has been in many decades, it is still a crime to \u201cinsult Turkishness\u201d or say something \u201cun-Turkish.\u201d \u00a0The media is largely bought and paid for by moguls with large business empires who are willing to use their platforms to advance their business interests. \u00a0They do this by ingratiating themselves with the powers that be. \u00a0In the few instances when a\u00a0corporate\u00a0titan has allowed his journalists too much free rein to attack the government, he has paid a very high price in the economic warfare officials wage against him.<\/p>\n

On the positive side, the country has made enormous strides in reducing poverty and addressing economic disparities and building wealth. \u00a0It has also undertaken a foreign policy offensive which has made it a critical regional player attempting to bring stability to such conflicts as Syria-Israel and Iran. \u00a0It will undoubtedly play a key role in ensuring the future stability of Syria if\/when the Assad government falls.<\/p>\n

But to get into a competition between the so-called freedoms of Israel and the so-called injustices of Turkey is a losing game. \u00a0Israel needs to be examined in its own right and not in comparison to any other country.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s return to Paul Auster\u2019s claims about Israel. \u00a0He hasn\u2019t even scratched the surface. \u00a0Israeli journalists and media are under the gravest of threats from the right-wing government and its thuggish non-governmental allies. \u00a0Uri Blau<\/a>, one of Israel\u2019s leading investigative reporters, who broke the story of IDF targeted assassinations in violation of Supreme Court rulings, faces six years in prison if the government decides to prosecute him. \u00a0His crime? \u00a0He published top secret documents leaked to him by whistleblower, Anat Kamm. \u00a0Jared Malsin<\/a>, English language editor of the Palestinian independent news agency, Maan, was imprionsed by Israeli authorities for nearly a week, and then deported because they no longer wished to allow him to practice journalism in the West Bank.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Military censorship applies to wide swaths of Israeli journalism and can be invoked regarding stories great and small. Though Israelis have learned to read between the lines to discover when a story has been censored, they still don\u2019t know what information they\u2019ve been denied nor why.<\/div>\n

The Israeli prime minister told the editor of the Jerusalem Post that the\u00a0two greatest enemies Israel faces<\/a>\u00a0are the New York Times and Haaretz. That is, Israel\u2019s leading liberal daily is a threat to the existence of the State of Israel. Does it remind you of Nixon\u2019s enemies list? It should. Does that begin to scare you, Mr. Auster? It should.<\/p>\n

Israeli journalists from around the country called an emergency meeting two months ago to rally against threats to press freedom. The organizer of this event, Uri Misgav, reporting for Yediot Achronot, recently lost his job. Another reporter who wrote for Maariv, Ruth Sinai, lost her job as well. Her editor, a former associate of Bibi Netanyahu\u2019s told her:<\/p>\n

\u201cPost-Zionist journalists will not write for his paper\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is Israel\u2019s second-largest circulation paper. Does that scare you? It should.<\/p>\n

The director of the Prime Minister\u2019s office, who is himself under investigation for sex harassment,\u00a0blackmailed TV Channel 10<\/a>\u00a0by demanding that it fire investigative journalist Raviv Drucker in return for the government not taking the station off the air. \u00a0Drucker had just aired a damaging story about Bibi Netanyahu\u2019s flaunting of ethics rules while he was an MK.<\/p>\n

The Israeli Knesset is considering a new law which would drastically reduce the level of proof needed to convict someone of libel. \u00a0It would massively increase awards against those found guilty of defamation. \u00a0Complainants wouldn\u2019t even need to establish proof of any economic damage in order to be compensated. \u00a0Publishers could also be held liable for defamation for comments published in the Talkback section.<\/p>\n

Journalists who report from Israel for Arab language outlets like Al Jazeera face routine embarrassment and harassment at the hands of Israeli security officials. \u00a0This has included the\u00a0stripping of female journalists<\/a>\u00a0by security agents before meetings with the prime minister.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s press is dominated by a single newspaper, Yisrael HaYom, funded by a billionaire for the express purpose of bringing Bibi to power and keeping him there. \u00a0Does this sound like a country that enjoys a free press?<\/p>\n

I urge Mr. Auster and anyone concered about freedom of the press in Israel to visit the site of\u00a0Keshev<\/a>, Israel\u2019s leading NGO in this field. Israel\u2019s leading website providing media criticism and advocacy is\u00a0Seventh Eye<\/a>. Though it is only in Hebrew, it is highly recommended.<\/p>\n

Regarding free speech, the threats are enormous. \u00a0Peace activists are routinely\u00a0dragged before the Shin Bet<\/a>\u00a0for interrogation for the crime of speaking their mind. \u00a0The women of New Profile were threatened with prison for advocating draft resistance in opposition to the Occupation. Ilana Hammerman has similarly been questioned three times and\u00a0threatened with prosecution<\/a>\u00a0for the crime of bringing Palestinian mothers and children into Israel to breathe fresh air at the beach and go to the zoo. \u00a0Solidarity activists at Sheikh Jarrah are routinely arrested and assaulted by Israeli police for opposing eviction of Palestinians from their homes. \u00a0Peace Now staff have\u00a0faced bomb and death threats<\/a>\u00a0from settler extremists and the Israeli police don\u2019t even prosecute when they know the identities of the perpetrators.<\/p>\n

The Israeli justice system allows extensive use of gag orders to protect the interests of the state, the military, and the wealthy. \u00a0Gag orders are routinely granted without having to prove any specific jeopardy to the protected party. \u00a0Rape victims often may not discuss the crimes committed against them if they\u2019re accusing a powerful man of harming them and he has a good attorney who can secure a gag order (cf.\u00a0Yoav Even<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Though I know of few threats to writers of the sort that Auster complains about in Turkey, Israeli performers who don\u2019t toe the political line pay the price as major roles dry up on stage and screen. \u00a0Haaretz, this week, featured a\u00a0profile of Mohammed Bakri<\/a>, perhaps Israel\u2019s most famous Palestinian actor. \u00a0After directing the documentary, Jenin Jenin, he was blackballed from many work opportunities in Israel. \u00a0The Israeli Film Board banned the film until the Supreme Court lifted it. \u00a0He has not acted on an Israeli stage since 2003, a year after the film came out:<\/p>\n

The last time Bakri\u2026was seen on an Israeli stage was in 2003, in Shlomi Moskovitz\u2019s \u201cSeven Days,\u201d directed by Dedi Baron at the Habima Theater\u2026More recently Bakri was supposed to have replaced an Arab actor in one play and another theater director did not employ him, fearing reactions like those of Im Tirtzu. That is, Bakri\u2019s prospects for employment in Israel have already been affected without Im Tirtzu\u2019s campaign against him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A decade ago or so, Chava Alberstein recorded a powerful anti-Occupation work which\u00a0adapted the traditional Pesach song, Chad Gadya<\/a>. \u00a0Many radio stations boycotted the song, the singer received death threats and she didn\u2019t perform in Israel for many years. \u00a0The only places she could perform were abroad, where the controversy was less well-known.<\/p>\n

So is Israel is haven for free speech and free press? \u00a0Hardly. \u00a0In fact, Paul Auster owes it to himself and his readers to study this issue in much greater depth. \u00a0He could speak out about these matters the next time he\u2019s in Israel. \u00a0In fact, after what he\u2019s said in the midst of this controversy, he has a responsibility to do so. \u00a0I\u2019ve suggested to progressive bloggers in New York that they seek a dialogue with Auster and perhaps a public event sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace or PEN to address the freedom deficit facing Israel. \u00a0I think it would be bracing and informative. \u00a0What better person to invite to speak on a panel with Auster than Jared Malsin, who spent a week in an Israeli jail cell for the crime of being a good reporter?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: Is Israel a haven for the free press? Hardly. It allows extensive use of gag orders to protect the state, the military, and the wealthy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":468,"featured_media":14985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,171,44,89,81,65,265],"tags":[1832,11156,10958,105,1150,911,861,2622,1572,18306,4228,4277,18311,11161,2612,11135,2447,8460,1171,6572,2204,4699,2608,1566,7749,3365,18330,2465,2278,18325,18302,11136,580],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14984"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}