Factoidalism at Haaretz

All the News That's Fit to Fake

translated by Joachim Martillo (ThorsProvoni@aol.com)

 

I am providing this translation because Americans critical of US ME policy tend to put too much trust in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. 

 

Organizations within the Boston-area Israel Lobby and organized Jewish community have discussed funding German leftist pro-Israel journals of the sort discussed in Weinthal's article.

 

Benjamin Weinthal: Slow to Write Back 

by Mattias Gockel and Thomas Immanuel Steinberg

 

On August 7, 2007 Ha'aretz put "Letter from Berlin: The anti-anti-Zionists" by Benjamin Weinthal into the Net. In it the author mentioned a lead-article from Konkret (Concrete) publisher Herman L. Gremliza about the attack on Iraq and compares it with the unqualified pro-war position of the magazine Bahamas.

 

Also Weinthal identifies die junge Welt (The Young World),

which even today remains an incorrigibly reactionary newspaper on the left whose coverage is filled with left-wing anti-Semitic diatribes against Israel and American Jews.

Because we both have written for Konkret and also for die junge Welt, we wanted to know whether Gremliza with regard to the Iraq war took in Weinthal's eyes a qualified pro-war position; and in what sense die junge Welt is according to Weinthal's opinion filled with anti-Semitic incitement against Israel and American Jew; finally, whether he arguably considers all "American Jews" to be Zionists. We wrote to Haaretz.

An:  feedback(at)haaertz.co.il
Cc: letters(at)haaretz.co.il
Datum: 07.09.07 19:41:20 Uhr 

Dear Sir/Madam:

we would like to address a letter to Mr. Weinthal in regard to his column "Letter from Berlin". Can you kindly let us know how to contact him or his office? Or should we send it to you and you can forward it?

Thank you very much for your attention.

Dr. Matthias Gockel and Thomas Immanuel Steinberg, Germany

Still we received no answer from Haaretz. So we snail-mailed anew and enclosed our inquiry to Benjamin Weinthal

Datum:13.09.07 10:14:49 Uhr 

Dear Sir/Madam:

Enclosed you find our response to Mr. Weinthal's column about "The Anti-anti-Zionists". We think that the column contains questionable statements that should be rectified or at least explained.

We would appreciate a brief reply by the author.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Kind regards, ...

The Inquiry

Dear Mr. Weinthal, 

we have read your article in Ha'aretz "Letter from Berlin: The anti-anti-Zionists" (August 7, 2007) with great interest. As journalists who have written for Konkret as well as for junge Welt we would like to ask you to explain a few of your statements in greater detail, if you don't mind. 

First, you mention Gremliza's editorial regarding the attack on Iraq and compare it to the "unqualified pro-war position" of Bahamas. How do you read Gremliza's editorial? Is it a qualified pro-war position? 

Second, you claim that the junge Welt is "filled with", i.e., full of, "anti-Semitic diatribes against Israel and American Jews". This is a serious charge. If it were true, we would be honestly concerned, since we have written a number of articles for junge Welt. We would be rather distressed to give the impression of associating ourselves with an anti-semitic publication. 

In contrast to your claim, we think that the junge Welt is devoted to the oath of Buchenwald and constantly publishes articles with a strong anti-fascist stance. It also convers the right-wing and neo-Nazi scene in Germany and often reports sympathetically about protests against neo-Nazi actions or anti-Semitism in general. Examples can be found in the newspaper's web edition. 

Of course, we are aware that junge Welt reports critically about Israel's actions in the West Bank and its military actions against neighboring states. If you can explain to what extent these reports are anti-semitic, we would be very grateful. 

Finally, we are certain that there has never been any "diatribe" against "American Jews", unless you claim that all "American Jews" hold Zionist positions. If you have an example to the contrary, please let us know. 

Thank you for your attention and kind regards, ... 

Again we obtained no answer. So we send the same mail on September 17, 2007 anew to Haaretz. Again we received no answer. Then we send a fifth letter to Haaretz:

Datum: 24.09.07 18:50:28 Uhr 

Dear Editor:

Unfortunately, you have not responded to our letter regarding the article by Benjamin Weinthal about "The Anti-anti Zionists".

We are rather disappointed, especially since we think that the article contains a number of serious mistakes that warrant, at the very least, an explanation. We expect better from a liberal newspaper.

Sincerely, ...

Meanwhile a colleague shared Weinthal's mailing address with us. We wrote him what we had already snail-mailed to Haaretz:

An: bweinthal(at)yahoo.com
Datum: 26.10.07 19:54:20 Uhr

Dear Mr. Weinthal,

we have read your article in Ha'aretz "Letter from Berlin: The anti-anti-Zionists" (August 7, 2007) with great interest. Although the column appeared more than 2 months ago, we would like to hear your comment on a few questions. As journalists who have written for Konkret as well as for junge Welt ...

It is now two months since. We are waiting and still waiting for an answer. Is Weinthal lazy to respond? Of late he translated into English what Ariel Muzicant puffed out about the natural gas deal between Austrian OMV and Iran. Just like Muzicant, Weinthal assiduously misreports [literally: botches] on behalf of the US-Israeli war lobby.

T:I:S, 24. Dezember 2007

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