I had the same experience reading the Ha Aretz article about Israeli support for Netanyahu's speech and then being confused - but not surprised - at Bronner's (NY Times) claim that "Israelis" felt the speech a failure.

Unbelievable.

Well, actually not at all unbelievable for Haaretz and NYT.

While the media has never been high on anyone's credibility list, it's depressing to see how far the media have really sank.

Caroline for President

Caroline, In regard to the garbage being spewed by Haaretz and the New York Times I thought you might find this article by Barry Rubin interesting.

http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/05/israeli-people-and-experts-we-support.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Rubinreports+(RubinReports)

It looks to me like Netanyahu walks with a limp on the left side and all of Israel along with him except a small group which is always targeted to suffer more for the governments grasping at straws of imaginary peace.

The focus of the Israeli government is AGAIN against a minority group in Israel to suffer more for the fake peace while the hedonistic rabble of Israel sit back and sip their lattes in comfort in between their hearty,party times.
Well that's not going to happen because there is a God of justice who hates evil.

If only Netanyahu had kept his mouth shut on this topic about Israel's willingness to incur more pain.
Hasn't Israel already made enough painful concessions and compromises for peace ?
Isn't it time for the Arabs to deliver painful compromises ?
Why did Netanyahu have to ruin an otherwise good speech by offering to deliver more pain to 1 segment of the Jewish population that deserves it the least ?
This stupidity of offering to punish Jews who are faithful to God's command to build up Zion will bring severe judgment upon the comfy anti-Zionist Jews of Tel-Aviv who are so quick to sacrifice their brothers and reward undeserving Palestinians for their great evil.

The best of Israel have to suffer while the godless perverts on the left and other enemies within do not?
You really think God will let this injustice pass without His response ?
So for me the Netanyahu speech gets a D-

if you dont read the newspapers you are uninformed, and if you do read them you are misinformed. Mark Twain

Dear Caroline,

The following is an exceedingly important video.

This video is new.

This is a video of a speech given by British Colonel Richard Kemp.

04 Richard Kemp.mov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm2zYZt487I

Richard Kemp:

"This malevolent portrayal of the IDF is carefully and systematically planned, cultivated, developed, expanded, and relentlessly driven forward. It is the key part of what amounts to nothing less than a pernicious, and increasingly dangerous, global conspiracy of propaganda aimed at the total delegitimization of the state of Israel - a conspiracy that has so far exceeded, in its international scope, anything dreamt of even by that master of propaganda, Dr. Joseph Goebbels himself - spreading the idea that Israel is so evil that it has no right to exist - aiming for the point where that idea becomes an acceptable mainstream argument in our Western societies.

"It is no surprise, of course, that such a campaign has great popularity in the Arab, and the wider, world, anymore than Goebbels' twisted propaganda machine succeeded in persuading so many Germans to his murderous cause. But what is truly shocking is the traction that this propaganda has gained in the West, among student bodies, teachers, university authorities, academics, think tanks, human rights organizations, aid agencies, parliamentary bodies, and, perhaps most damaging of all, the mass media.

"A favorite vehicle for the anti-Israel conspiracy is the United Nations Human Rights Council."

There is more. One may hear it by watching, and listening to, the video.

----

Caroline, the members of certain particular 'elite' social classes is Israel, most importantly, and most detrimentally, the news media class in Israel, don't understand what is happening in the world and have no idea of the extremity and seriousness of the danger that Israel is in, and, they, by their dishonest and ignorant immoral actions, are contributing to an intendedly genocidal campaign of delegitimization of Israel that is aiming to annihilate Israel. They have no idea of what they are doing.

Those of us who are aware of the situation, no matter the differences in our political, or religious, or cultural, backgrounds, must join together to support and defend Israel against what is now a global intendedly genocidal racist conspiracy of lies that is aiming to annihilate the country of the Jewish people.

On my blog, danielbielak.blogspot.com, I have written a brief summary of the history of the situation that Israel is in.

similar here in Australia. on national radio news the other night, show called PM, they reported briefly on Netanyahu speech w/ Mark Colvin to Congress. After mentioning only that Netanyahu spoke to congress, they announced that the PA considered his speech a 'declaration of war'. Then to follow it up for more, they introduced 'veteran' journalist Gideon Levy who had mostly only disappointing things to say.
There was no mention that this journalist attacks Israel almost every day in his writings. Maybe i am biased, and i certainly am when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people, but I never hear the journalists ask what the Arabs are going to 'give', concede, or why they never wish the Jewish State any good fortune. I know you would think my question rediculous, but why does it not occur to them? listen at: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2011/s3226925.htm

It is very depressing, and worrying besides, but this is happening all over the west: everywhere a radical left caste of pundits is marching in front of the troops, and it refuses to notice the fact that the sound of following footsteps has dwindled. The great unwashed has left off following for some time now, and the proles are talking among themselves, in a totally undesirable strain, of course..
Anyway - I am very happy that the israeli public has more sense than it's deluded selfappointed guardians.

Caroline,

PM Netanyahu needs to start to charge the genocidal anti-Jewish racist liars Fatah-PLO-PalestinianAuthority and Hamas, and needs to stop appeasing the ideogically genocidally anti-Jewish racist murderous liars Fatah-PLO-PalestinianAuthority and Hamas - and needs to stop appeasing the ignorant bigoted prejudiced leaders of the governments of Western countries. If PM Netanyahu forthrightly firmly clearly consistently tells the factual history of the situation and thereby discloses the perverse injustice against nation of the Jewish people, and discloses the nature of the ideologically genocidally anti-Jewish racist murderous liars Fatah-PLO-PalestinianAuthority and Hamas - the American people - including many liberals (liberals who are not lie-indoctrinated ideological anti-Jewish racists who hold the malicious racist, what, in the past ten years, has become a, common widespread ideological belief among the political left in Western societies that Jewish people and groups of Jewish people (such as Israeli Jewish people, and such as non-Israeli Jewish people who support the existence and safety of the country of their own ethnic and cultural group) are evil and that there are Jewish-conspiracies and that Jewish people control the world) - will understand and will stand with Israel. The American people, in general, as a whole, are a very good and understanding people.

Caroline,

Moreover, PM Netanyahu needs to mindfully, clearly, firmly, tell the facts of the U.S. government's and all Western governments' deceitful malicious continuous attack against, and betrayal of, Israel since before Israel was officially re-founded, and PM Netanyahu needs to mindfully, clearly, firmly, communicate and expose the existence of the current global racist campaign to, with lies, vilify Israel that Richard Kemp mindfully, clearly, firmly communicated the existence of.

PM Netanyahu must do so with dignity, with self-assuredness, with an equanimous forgiving spirit.

If PM Netanyahu does this, then the American people will stand with Israel.

It is very depressing, and worrying besides, but this is happening all over the west: everywhere a radical left caste of pundits is marching in front of the troops, and it refuses to notice the fact that the sound of following footsteps has dwindled. The great unwashed has left off following for some time now, and the proles are talking among themselves, in a totally undesirable strain, of course..
Anyway - I am very happy that the israeli public has more sense than it's deluded selfappointed guardians.

In 1974 the Russians launched one of their space probes and The Economist had a field day with its sarcasm laughing at the Russians flop when the probe went dead after a few hours. It was typical The Economist - short, biting and the article was not signed by any specific author. At the time I was a foreign student in the USSR, involved with my math, physics and electronics classes and I would have completely forgotten The Economist article had I not come across a reference to it a few weeks later in the Russian magazine Za Rubezhom which was kind of a Russian digest of the foreign press. To my amazement the Za Rubezhom version of The Economist article was full of praise for Soviet technological advances in general and this space probe in particular.

I felt like Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight . This cannot be true! I took the taxi to the consulate, retrieved the old copy of The Economist and upon return home put it on the table along with the Za Rubezhom version, called my father and brother and we together compared sentence by sentence in English and Russian. To our surprise the differences were minor, at most three sentences, but the meaning of the article had been completely reversed! This was my first direct experience of proven media manipulation.

In 1974 there was no Internet, no faxes, and the only foreign press available to the Russians were communist papers like Daily Star and L’Humanité so the Russian manipulators could quite easily get away with it.

It is almost mind-boggling then that some 37 years later with all the presence of the Internet and with the ability to check the truth within seconds, The New York Times is still getting away with it. Millions of Americans reading the New York Times are being fed lies and they don’t even realize it. Paradoxically, while the Russians at the time were quite aware that they were being lied to, most readers of the New York Times do not seem to care.

I could not help make this comment.
For years I have been criticizing Israeli policy against Gaza. I claimed cast lead did not make sense. I claimed embargo did not make sense...; I even claimed Israel should engage in talks against gaza.
Many pro Israeli people claimed that
the embargo was necessary because Hamas was a terror organization and an Iranian base . Cast lead was much necessary because of the Qassams that fall in Israel in a daily basis . When it does come to talks.., OMG.., how could israel talk with those hamas mean terrorists that did not even recognize the jewish state ?

For years I claimed ( contrary to the opinion of you and security minded people ) that the main treat to israel was not the hand made Qassams, the ragtag Gaza fighters , but instead diplomatic Isolation.

From such perspective Israel war against Gaza ( the embargo, cast lead ) was completely wrong and only damaged Israel interests. ( Remember Goldstone report ? )

I was completely right and israeli security minded people completely wrong.

With amazement I read today in Haaretz that the opening of Rafah crossing ( that means the end of the embargo ) quote :

"Although Israel objects to the move, it is not seen as causing major security damage ".
Mess Report .

Title : Opening of Rafah crossing spells end of Israel's blockade of Gaza

end of quote

No comments.
If the end of the embargo is not a major security problem for israel , why did Israel kept the embargo for years , an embargo that did seriously damaged Israel image around the world ?

Today pro israeli commentators are awakening to the real problem of israel : Diplomatic isolation.

The war Israel waged against Gaza for years , only tarnished israel image contributing therefore to Israel diplomatic isolation.

Such war against Gaza.., did huge damage to Israel.

Instead of trying to topple Hamas thought an embargo first and cast lead next in december 2008 Israel should have done the opposite policy.
Israel should not have done any embargo and should have engaged in talks with Hamas.

A friendly policy towards Gaza would have attained the following objectives:

1 - Enhancement of Israel image around the world.
Israel would have been seen as a compassionate power, not a bully.

2 - Split of the palestinian movement making it weaker . ( Israel did help hamas in the beginning in order to weaken fatah . The policy of talks with Hamas would be the continuation of such policy )

3 - Strengthening of Israel position in the west bank.
If israel were able to give an image of itself of a moderate country..,that was willing to talk even with hamas..., that would strenghten Israel position vis a vis Palestinian Authority.

The failed war against hamas, on the contrary , only did contribute to the demonization of Israel and the isolation of the jewish state in the international arena.

I was right. Commentators were wrong.

PS : Given the fact that my comments are never published here, I also publish the comment in mideast truth forum, a pro israeli board with some members with gravitas, so to speak.