11 January 2016

Amira Hass and the impunity of the righteous


Frankly, I am guilty of disbelief in this case. When I was referred to the article Haaretz outs IDF hero who infiltrated B'tselem, Ta'ayush, I was sceptical, knowing that the source, Arutz 7, is frequently way over the top.

But first about the case that started the chain of events leading up to the exceptional intervention by Ms Hass. Channel 2's news magazine 'Uvda' ('Fact') did an expose on a Jewish Israeli citizen, one Ezra Nawi, who was recorded saying that he helps Palestinian authorities find and kill Palestinians who sell land to Jews.
In the Palestinian Authority, the penal code reserves capital punishment for anyone convicted of selling land to Jews. This law, which Palestinian officials defended as designed to prevent takeovers by settlers, has not been implemented in Palestinian courts, where sellers of land to Jews are usually sentenced to several years in prison. However, in recent years several Palestinians have been murdered for selling land. Their murders have remained unsolved.
Now we can go to the article I doubted:
The man, who was planted in the leftist groups by a group called Ad Kan, recorded the most damning documentary materials aired on the show, by use of a hidden camera. His identity was kept secret on the show, and the IDF, too, refrained from making it public when he was awarded the Chief of Staff's citation for his courage in Operation Protective Edge.
And then, Amira Hass, the intrepid fighter for human rights (only where Palestinian human rights are concerned, and only if the said Palestinians are of anti-Israeli bend) goes and publishes the real name of the man, according to the article I was sceptical about.

The English version of Haaretz was missing the said article by Hass, but the Hebrew one - lo and behold - is where I hit the paydirt. Unbelievable as it may seem, Amira Hass just did the dirty deed. Not only has she disclosed the name of the man, who is an IDF hero indeed, she tried her best to insult him (calling him a Shin Bet "irregular") and - against all evidence - challenge the facts. The article is extremely poisonous, as is much of Ms Hass' body of work, but it is beside the point, which is her disclosure of confidential information - as an act of vengeance.

Believe it or not, she also justifies what the revolting vermin Ezra Nawi is doing by claiming that Palestinian Authority doesn't use the death penalty (but see the above emphasized quote re murders of Palestinian land sellers - why should PA do it officially, when there are enough volunteers?). Of course, torture and imprisonment for selling land to Jews is fine, according to Hass - but let's leave it for another time.

Just to add some color to the story: Gideon Levy, the baron of deceit industry, added his voice, strengthened by the recently added Olaf Palme prize (for what, I wonder - incessant lying?), penning an article with a curious headline A Flagship of Israeli Journalism Joins the Ranks of False Propaganda and an even more curious lede: "The investigative TV program ‘Uvda’ should be ashamed of the report it aired which depicted human rights activists as dangerous, while ignoring the occupation." So, reporting facts (which he cannot address and disprove) is "false propaganda" these days?

Garbage, Ms Hass and Mr Levy - is where both of you belong.

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