More on the delegitimization of Israel

I am in a group which discusses, among many other things, Israel, the War against Islamofascist Terror, etc. One of the things being discussed recently was the article to which I linked in a post yesterday, on how American public opinion is being swayed against Israel. I have deleted the name of the group and the identity of the person with whom I had the following exchange. Unfortunately, the postings are in reverse order. I couldn't seem to find a way to change them:

I don't disagree, but even if you want to discount the source of this particularly venomous article, there are all those others in "respectable" outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, etc., etc., not to mention the wire services.

The Arab/Muslim world has learned many lessons over the past 59 years. They have come to realize that Israel cannot be defeated militarily, at least not yet. However, if you can de-legitimize the country, and cut off its support around the world (and particularly here in the U.S.), then it will become politically acceptable to contemplate, as Mahmoud Ahdmadinejad so quaintly put it, "a world without Zionism".

In order to win this PR battle, the Arabs have put those billions in oil revenue to good use. In addition to funding madrassas and mosques around the world (including here), they have funded Middle East Studies programs everywhere, all of which are hotbeds of anti-Israeli sentiment. The professors in these departments then go out and teach our kids. They have also formed an alliance of expediency with the Far Left around the world, and have used that alliance to spread the mythology that the Palestinians are blameless victims of colonialist/zionist/nazi/imperialist/fascist (take your pick of adjectives) terror and oppression. As well, they have funded think tanks such as the Carter Center and pressure groups such as CAIR.

The end result of all of this is that Israel is now fighting a war which is completely different from those which is previously fought. This is not a tank vs. tank, aircraft vs. aircraft, soldier vs. soldier battle. This is a battle of money and ideas, and it is one which in my view Israel is woefully underequipped and unprepared to fight. The results of it will not necessarily be seen today, tomorrow, or this year. It will be seen in the years to come, as those who have been brainwashed by the relentless onslaught of pro-Palestinian propaganda assume positions of power in politics, the media, business, etc.

Sorry to be so longwinded on my first foray into this discussion group, but that is why I am so pessimistic.

--------- wrote:>> > "Hello, I am new to this group, so pardon my intrusion! I am concerned that the views of this person are not so extreme or farfetched."

Welcome to the ----------! About your concerns - this article was published in 'Counterpunch', which has always been a fever swamp of scum and lunacy. It's not a respectable publication. The author of the piece, DiMaggio, seems to be believe that the media is biased in favor of Israel. DiMaggio and Counterpunch's opinions are extreme, even when compared with most members of the media (unless they work for the BBC or Reuters) However, DiMaggio's ravings are pretty normal for most> Saudi/Gulf-state-funded professors of Middle East studies. A lot of the negative press out there comes from interviews with 'respected academics' like DiMaggio. Anti-Israel sentiments also come from interviews with employees of the American state department, whose retirement funds are often paid for by our Saudi/Gulf state friends, who also own shares in many media> outlets. If we want to know where most of the anti-Israel sentiment is coming from, it helps to follow the money.

------------- wrote: Hello, I am new to this group, so pardon my intrusion! I am concerned that the views of this person are not so extreme or farfetched. Israel is in an existential war, one of whose fronts include a battle for legitimacy being fought in the media. And the fact of the matter is that this is a battle whichIsrael is losing decisively. If it were a prizefight, it would have been stopped in > > the first round. Don't believe me? Just watch what is reported on a daily basis on CNN, MSNBC, and yes, even Fox News. It's even worse elsewhere, where media outlets such as Canada's CBC, the UK's BBC, Australia's ABC and the wire services (includes Agence France Presse, Reuters Associated Press, etc.) all act as unofficial PR arms of the Palestinian "cause".

My point is that all of this relentlessly negative press about and towards Israel cannot help but have an effect on the way the Jewish state is viewed.