‘Palestinian Only’ Buses in Israel: The Big Lies are Back

[shira]

Of course there are no "Jews only" roads in Israel, just as there are no Jews only buses or even 'Palestinian only' buses in Israel. But if you tell a big lie often enough, well, Goebbels was the master and look where that took us.


The headlines roll out, the journalistic warfare continues, and the Jewish State once more is cast in the starring role of “evil, Apartheid empire.” This time the story is that Israel is forcing the Arab Palestinians to ride separate buses from the ones Jewish Israelis ride.

The reality is exactly the opposite – there are no “Palestinian only” buses. Instead, with its new bus routes, Israel is reducing crowded buses, attempting to relieve ethnic tensions and security concerns, and is assisting Arab Palestinians enter Green Line Israel to work. But we’ll get to the facts – which exonerate Israel from “Apartheid” charges – in a minute. For right now you can rest assured that despite efforts to cast the Arab Palestinians in the role of Rosa Parks, a closer fit would be to cast the purveyors of this latest attack as peddlers of the Big Lie.

First, the hysteria:

One headline, from the magazine formerly known as Newsweek, and now known as – more accurately – the Daily Beast, “West Bank Buses Only the Latest in Israel’s Segregated Public Transport,” and one from the uber-leftist +972, “Israel’ new ‘Palestinian only’ segregated bus line,” and even the Israeli news media outlet YNet fans the flames: “Ministry launches ‘Palestinians only’ buses.”

The claims are exactly as you would expect them, and made by those whom you would suspect. For example, Jessica Montell is the director of the anti-Israel, pro-Arab B’tselem Rights group. “Creating separate bus lines for Israeli Jews and Palestinians is a revolting plan,” Montell told Army Radio. “This is simply racism.”

much more....
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/palestinian-only-buses-in-israel-goebbels-big-lies-are-back/2013/03/05/0/

[shira]

1. TERRA INCOGNITA: Segregating fact and fiction

Every single story about the “segregated Palestinian only” bus lines was based on ignorance of the actual situation.



The Twainist witticism of the “lie traveling halfway round the world while the truth puts on its socks” was never more true than with regard to this week’s story about Israel inaugurating “segregated bus lines.”

This story began with Israeli media reporting Sunday: “Israel introduces ‘Palestinian only’ bus lines, following complaints from Jewish settlers” (Chaim Levinson, Haaretz). The mainstream newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported on “Separate but equal bus lines?” the next day.

The foreign media took its cue from the Israeli reports – in many cases, such as at Al Jazeera, the Israeli reports were re-printed almost verbatim.

more..
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=305427

[JoDog]

2. The money quote

"But for some people, and lots of journalists, no good motives can be imputed to Israelis."

Unfortunately, people often believe what they want to believe. For one reason or another, frightening number of people have decided to believe that Israel is all evil, all the time. It does not matter how much information they are presented. They will return to this default.

[shira]

4. Amazing this centuries old hatred still endures into the 21st century. n/t

[Rabid_Rabbit]

3. I have been fascinated by this story

When I first heard about it I looked in to it and found the headlines to be so utterly misleading that it was clearly an attempt to infuriate and mislead the reader.

[shira]

5. What's scary is when you ask yourself "what else" you're being misled about. n/t