An Open Letter From an “Illegal Outpost”
Battling Against ‘The Falsification of History’, by Josh Hamerman (Ynet)
Residents of Maaleh Rechavam Sue Maariv Newspaper for Libel, by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz (Israel National News)
Excerpts;
After requests that the newspaper publish a retraction were refused, according to Drori Bar-Levav, general secretary of the community, it was decided to sue Maariv.
Lawyers representing 14 residents of Maaleh Rechavam filed suit with the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Sunday. The defendants named in the case are Amnon Dankner, Maariv’s editor-in-chief, journalist Uri Yablonka, and Maariv’s publishing corporation. According to the suit, the representation of the community as it appeared in a May 2006 article by Yablonka defamed them, and negatively impacted Maaleh Rechavam residents’ businesses and relations with their Arab neighbors.
Residents are seeking 108,500 shekels ($26,100) in damages, as well as a public correction stating that “the community of Maaleh Rechavam is situated exclusively on state lands.”
Maaleh Rechavam, named for assassinated Tourism Minister Rechavam Ze’evi, was established in September of 2003 adjacent to the town of Nokdim. Lawyers for the residents are seeking 108,500 shekels in damages, as well as a public correction. Lawyers for the community say that it was established on state lands with the full approval of all the relevant authorities – the IDF, the Housing Ministry, the Regional Council, the World Zionist Organization – and with the blessing of then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. In addition, according to the court document, Maaleh Rechavam appears completely within state lands on maps of the region and is included in municipal planning for Nokdim.
The suit concludes, “Misleading publicity such as this may aid those interested in uprooting the community and destroying the fruit of the residents’ labors, in which they invested much of their personal funds.”
Commentary;
The point is that the Israeli left-wing, agendized media seizes upon any lie or distortion about any nationalist or nationalist issue, whether it relates to property ownership or, as in the case of Josh Hamerman’s Entebbe article (linked above), relates to the credibility and conduct of Yoni Netanyahu at Entebbe and creates a national scandal out of it prompting leftist, Arab court suits or the slurring and slandering of a stainless national hero.
Therefore, regrettably, the exists no machinery, no watchdog in Israel’s legislative or judicial processes whereby the Israeli media would be put under a microscope and it’s responsibility and transparency subjected to close scrutiny. Such microscope and scrutiny only exists when comes to religious nationalists or opposition to leftist dogma.
The Israeli media, regarding the village of Maaleh Rechavam, Jewish inhabitancy of Jewish-owned buildings in Chevron as well as the history of the Entebbe raid have outrageously, slanderously and aggregiously abused the spirit of freedom of the press and the ages-old adage; “the pen is mightier than the sword.” For these reasons and more, the Israeli media MUST be reigned in and be made to report responsibly. MB