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)

Thursday 21 July 2011

More On Murdoch: "For Israel, a major erosion of the Murdoch media would have highly adverse repurcussions"

The other day, I blogged about Rupert Murdoch's support for Israel, and pointed out that Murdoch appears to be persecuted by leftist elements who are using the certainly outrageous phone-hacking scandal as an excuse for an assault à outrance on Murdoch's media empire (with the odious, hypocritical, repulsively monopolistic BBC in the vanguard of the charge). http://daphneanson.blogspot.com/2011/07/rupert-murdoch-friend-of-israel.html

As one pundit remarked on television a couple of days ago, Murdoch employs twice as many people as does the entire Royal Navy –  can Murdoch be expected to know them all or what they are up to?  The answer, of course, is obvious.

Isi Leibler, the internationally known Jewish leader who for decades headed the Australian Jewish community and now lives in Israel, where he writes a much-respected regular column for the Jerusalem Post, has written a powerful piece in defence of the embattled Rupert Murdoch that comes via the antipodean J-Wire service.  Murdoch is, of course, Australian-born, and Leibler writes from personal knowledge.  His article is entitled "Rupert Murdoch –  A Genuine Friend of Israel".

This is what he writes (I've put the parts relevant to Israel in bold type):

'For Israel, a major erosion of the Murdoch media would have highly adverse repercussions….
Rupert Murdoch, the man who single-handedly created the most powerful media conglomerate in the world, is currently experiencing a nightmare. Not only is his empire under siege but his competitors are literally baying for his blood, inciting the public and indulging in an unprecedented campaign to demonize him. They are also denying the presumption of innocence before being tried. Moreover, there is enormous hypocrisy from other newspapers who have been engaged in similar transgressions being at the forefront of calling for the dismantling of Murdoch’s media holdings.

That being said, the behaviour of the senior management and journalists employed by News of the World was utterly unconscionable and represents a disgrace to all canons of journalism. Those involved deserve to be punished with the utmost severity.

Despite the proliferating media feeding frenzy, which journalist Melanie Phillips describes as a Robespierrian moment comparable to the death of Princess Diana, there is, as of now, no proof that Murdoch was even aware of the events taking place. True, even in a major conglomerate like the Murdoch media conglomerate, lapses of this nature should have been prevented and even if Murdoch is personally exonerated, it will impact adversely on him and his senior management. However, he has expressed contrition, apologized for what took place and, in fact, closed down the newspaper involved – a weekly tabloid, with the largest circulation in the U.K.

While the News of the World was unquestionably a scurrilous broadsheet, one must not overlook that the Murdoch media empire also includes some of the finest daily newspapers in the world such as the Wall Street Journal, the London Times and The Australian.

The hysteria and hatred directed against Murdoch personally is transparent, primarily motivated by politics. He is repeatedly being accused of distorting the news. Yet, when it comes to media prejudice, it is noteworthy that the BBC, by far the largest and most powerful media outlet in the world, renowned for its bias and selective reporting, has never been subject to anything remotely compared to the witch hunt facing Murdoch. Yet the BBC is at the forefront of the campaign personally attacking him.

Over the years, Murdoch has emerged as a bastion against post modernism. In a world dominated by moral equivalency, he has promoted the values of Western civilization. One could even argue that it is primarily due to him that the delusional far left failed to take virtual control of the British media.

For Israel, a major erosion of the Murdoch media would have highly adverse repercussions. In an era in which the liberal global media has increasingly turned against Israel, most of the Murdoch outlets maintain a fair and evenhanded approach.

Murdoch, whom I met personally on a number of occasions, is himself unquestionably a genuine friend of Israel. In fact, he has frequently been falsely described as Jewish by hostile Muslims and other extremists.

While always sympathetic to Israel as the plucky underdog, the turning point in his relationship was 1982, when Ariel Sharon hosted him with a group of editors on a helicopter tour where he witnessed “the vulnerability of the country“ in terms of defensible borders. 

His friendship towards Israel was publicly displayed when he was honored in 2009 by the American Jewish Committee and more recently in 2010 by the ADL.  At the ADL meeting he said:
“In the West, we are used to thinking that Israel cannot survive without the help of Europe and the United States. I say to you: maybe we should start wondering whether we in Europe and the United States can survive if we allow the terrorists to succeed in Israel… In the end, the Israeli people are fighting the same enemy we are: cold-blooded killers who reject peace… who reject freedom… and who rule by the suicide vest, the car bomb and the human shield”.
If Murdoch is found to have been aware of the transgressions, his reputation will be destroyed and he will face major punitive sanctions. But as of now, while his enemies continue baying for his blood, most Israelis will be hoping that despite the criminal nature of the News of the World scandal, Rupert Murdoch and his senior management will be exonerated of direct malfeasance and his media holdings will remain substantially intact.'

5 comments:

  1. "...But as of now, while his enemies continue baying for his blood, most Israelis will be hoping that despite the criminal nature of the News of the World scandal, Rupert Murdoch and his senior management will be exonerated of direct malfeasance and his media holdings will remain substantially intact.'..."

    This hope will be dashed if the Australian non-mandated minority government and the virulent anti-Semites in the Australian Greens get their wish. It is absolutely nauseating to see their propaganda arm, especially the ABC (TV & Radio), enthusiastically supported by the SBS, the Fairfax press etc. indulge in a nearly 24/7 circle-wank. The real "Fuehrer" of the Australian Government, Bob Brown has even demanded, explicitely, an inquisition targetting exclusively the few conservative voices that still dare saying "peep" here, and his second in charge, the non-mandated prime minister has loudly and explicitely supported this witch hunt against the conservative media, including "opinion" pieces.

    Does that remind only me of a modus operandi so efficiently used to shut up voices who would not sing the Horst Wessel Song and mean it???

    GAK!

    ReplyDelete
  2. One reason they hate him so much is because he is a friend of Israel and the Jews. Likely the main reason.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Here's a daft analysis, Geoffff:

    http://blogs.jta.org/telegraph/article/2011/07/21/3088649/who-cares-if-murdoch-is-pro-israel

    ReplyDelete
  4. The problem is5)-5 almost certainly Murdoch is guilty, either explicitly or of willful ignorance.

    Consider the Actual mechanics of "phone hacking."

    If it was difficult -- requiring well above-average technical ability -- then Murdoch's reporters would have has to hire technical experts. That means payments and approvals up the chain of commands and I would assume yo very far up.

    If it is easy, why is phone hacking not very widespread? As many reporters are not very that much more ethical than Murdoch's crew, why so little phone hacking?

    My bet is tha Murdoch knew or told others not to tell him..

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.