Earlier today, Ben Smith of Politico noticed what seemed like an angry response by Israelis to the “open mic” rants exchanged by US president Barack Obama and French president Nicolas Sarkozy. According to reports, Sarkozy called the Israeli PM “a liar,” and Obama complained “I have to deal with him every day.”
In the evening following the publication, the Tel Aviv US embassy’s Facebook page was filled with comments by Israelis defending their prime minister’s honor.
Yet one couldn’t help notice that some of the comments have the exact same message.
I decided to check the Facebook page of Israeli Sheli (“My Israel”), a “grassroots” organization which is run by a former chief of staff of Netanyahu (before his return to the PM office) and which has strong ties to Yesha Council, the settlers’ representative body (Haaretz has called Israel Sheli “an arm of the Yesha council”).
Sure enough, earlier today Israel Sheli sent its 60,000 followers to protest the comments by the American and French presidents, and even offered them some talking points. The message ends with the sentence: “Doing Zionism – defending Israel’s honor.”
My Israel's Facebook page, November 8
Most people who responded to the appeal simply copy-pasted the message from Israel Sheli’s Facebook page, bus some were more original; in the first screenshot I posted, the person who posted the Hebrew message is wishing the United States “another 9/11.”
November 8, 2011
11:32 am
Can you imagine if an American, said anything about wishing violence against Israeli civilians? the outrage and charges of antisemitism that would ensue would be of legendary proportions. Someone needs to put Zionists in their proverbial place immediately, their delusions of grandeur and chosenness is out of this universe.
November 8, 2011
12:43 pm
“we take it personally as an attack on all the citizens of the State of Israel.”
This explains so much! If you insist on being painted with the same brush as every single one of your countrymen, this is what you get.
I get that security has made Israeli citizenship a fundamentally different kind of relationship to your country and fellow citizens than most other developed democracies. But this is an example of it getting out of hand. Its too bad that Israelis are too paranoid to criticize their own leaders on the international stage, but that’s not going to stop me from saying it. Netanyahu is a liar, and an idiot.
November 8, 2011
1:38 pm
right, i get emails from peace now advising what to write to what list they send.
thats ok, but this is not??
November 8, 2011
2:24 pm
“the person who posted the Hebrew message is wishing the United States “another 9/11.”
Well, Netanyahu has alreadfy said the 9/11 (i.e. the death of thousands of Americans) was good for Israel.
Haaretz April 16, 2008
November 8, 2011
3:54 pm
[...] must stop this immediately,” Mr. Obama said.Noam Sheizaf, an Israeli journalist and blogger, reported on Tuesday that the official Facebook page of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv “was filled with comments by [...]
November 9, 2011
6:01 am
Well, the embassy facebook page has comments like “How refreshing”, plus, at least one Israeli web site comments positively on the exchange (972mag.com).
Perhaps we should donate to that web site while it is still tax free?
While so far taxing foreign donation is conducted by Belorus
http://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/eastweek/2011-08-10/belarusian-government-hits-system-funding-ngos
given the intimate Belorus-Israel relationship one can expect the same system being adopted in Israel.
I think that it would do much good for USA if the responsibility to support Israel financially, diplomatically and militarily could be unloaded to Belorus which obviously has historical, cultural and ideological connections to Israel which run much deeper than American connections.
November 9, 2011
10:39 am
“..in the first screenshot I posted, the person who posted the Hebrew message is wishing the United States “another 9/11.”
.
My father died before I made aliyah. When I was inducted into the army, and then went on to serve in Nachal (Gidood Chamishim), I imagined that he would’ve been proud of me. For many years, I cherished that thought. My father was a World War Two veteran. A paratrooper, who was wounded at Bastogne, and awarded the bronze star. The experience, I think, defined him as a Jew (or at least in the way HE thought jews should behave), and more importantly, defined him as an American. I am glad that my father is not alive today to have seen this.
November 9, 2011
6:15 pm
I am reminded of “Bibi’s” visit here and his appeal to our congress to further add to the conflict between the president and congress. Where was the outcry I do not think Americans wished for another genocide of the Jews as retribution. I and many americans are old enough to remember the holocaust and are ashamed of our country’s failure to offer shelter to people who later became victims but I am increasingly concerned at the behavior of the Israeli government and their behavior that seems to violate the human rights of the non Jewish citizens.
November 9, 2011
7:10 pm
So nice to hear he truth expressed regarding the leader of the criminal State of Israel!!!!
November 10, 2011
2:28 am
That a brilliant man, like the President of the United States should make a stupid remark to a French President, an apparent anti-
Semite, of having to “put up with him (Netanyahu) in a daily basis.” He does not put up with it on a daily basis and he should be well settled in his position as president that he doesn’t have tpo kiss the ass of this French poodole called Sarkozy. The Oresident;s remark that it is a good thing Sarkozy’s new infant doesn’t hnave her father’s looks, even thought he was right that time.
November 10, 2011
5:08 am
Are you implying that Netanyahu is not a “LIAR”??
November 12, 2011
2:21 pm
So, according to LEE DIMIN, Sarkozy is an antisemite.
While ago some pro-israel rightwinger told me my criticism of Sarkozy were anti-semite, cause of his jewish ancestors. That’s a complicated world, full of traps.