Thursday, June 23, 2011
If Bibi Was Really Serious About Trying to Free Jonathan Pollard, This Video Would be in English
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu is professional and smooth, but it isn't Israel that needs to see and understand his message. The message should be in English for the Americans who have kept Pollard a prisoner for over twenty-five years. That's well above any punishment for a similar crime. Actually there haven't been too many spies for allies. Pollard has been held longer than spies for enemy countries are generally imprisoned.
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11 comments:
You are so right. I wanted to put the video on my blog, but its pointless because most of my readers don't speak Hebrew.
why so churlish?
this is the first p.m. to actually take any active public role for pollard.
and all you have is criticism?!?
Devorah, I also debated what to do, but then it seemed like it would just make the point. Bibi is a performer, a politician, not an idealist.
a, "churlish?" I'm a realist, a pragmatist. If I want to watch a good movie, I turn on the TV or watch one on the dvd.
Let's be fair. This was a Q&A session with the Israeli public in Hebrew.
Indeed, Netanyahu on this issue is better than any of his predecessors, though admittedly he could do more - like advocating joining the July 4th boycott.
Shy, why didn't his office add English subtitles and why hasn't he made a public issue of it re: the Americans?
Batya, because no one in our government thinks of Hasbara. I'm sure you've noticed that over the last 30+ years.
Again, I agreed that more can always be done.
and if it were in English, or with subtitles - so what? what would be the purpose - to convince the American public that Pollard should be released? I am sure that most of the American public doesn't care, and/or has been convinced by misleading reports claiming that Pollard was a "dangerous spy" who "damaged the US." currently, the non-Jewish American public, and even much of the Jewish American public, is afraid to stand up for Pollard because they have been told that he (and anyone who supports him) is a traitor to the US.
so if there were something in English, it wouldn't be this one-minute sound bite that already assumes Pollard's innocence; it would have to be much, much more detailed, and explain that many of the accusations against Pollard were false, and that he was framed by Aldrich Ames, who spied for the Russians and was much more dangerous.
and even then - even if we could convince the American public to support Pollard's release (which is a long shot because they are so brainwashed about this that it is difficult now to change those opinions), then what would that help? the majority of the American public supports Israel, and is against pressuring Israel to give Judea & Samaria to the arabs. yet do we see any sign at all that this affects US govt policy? even though a majority in Congress supports Israel, BHO and the State Dept support the arabs, and pressure Israel repeatedly to make dangerous concessions to unrepentant terrorists.
the question is whether Netanyahu, and other supporters of Pollard, are talking to BHO & Hillary about Pollard. what the American public thinks is much less consequential.
Shy, decades ago, Begin brought in Shmuel Katz who left quickly after he realized that the Foreign Ministry spent more time tying his hands than caring about hasbara.
Leah, it just proves how fake the statement is.
Batya, if this were a public policy announcement or a statement to the news media, you could consider it "fake" and wonder why he said it in Hebrew. but it was neither of these; it was an answer in Hebrew to a question from an Israeli citizen. the more important question is, what is Netanyahu saying about Pollard to the US govt. we don't have any way to know that - it certainly won't be on youtube.
It's just another example of how a politician speaks one way to his citizens and another way to the world.
I will post it on my blog, not that I understand a word he is saying, but I have a reader who is fluent in Hebrew and can write about what Bibi is saying.
Totally OT but did anyone notice the way Bibi rolled his eyes in contempt during the 28-year old Advocate TV show when he appeared as Ben Nitay. He doesn't roll his eyes when he's called an MIT graduate but does roll them when he's called an Israeli.
I really like Netanyahu but increasingly find myself wondering if he's saying what he really feels or if he's good at saying what people want to hear.
In any event, he has enough contacts in the US media that he could take this message to the English speaking public.
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