Friday, May 04, 2012

Were Jewish Journalists Discriminated Against?

As my veteran blog-followers know, I have documented over the years the policy of State Department discrimination directed at Jews.  It takes the form of ignoring the existence of, now, 360,000 Jews residing in a territory overseen by the American Consulate-General based in Jerusalem. (see here; and here)

That territory is, at present, Judea and Samaria (it used to include the Gaza District).

Any activity of a cultural, business, sport, social welfare, artistic or educational character is restricted for Arabs only.  Jews who live in the territory are ignored.

I have attempted to interest US Jewish leaders, both liberal and others, Christians, Congressmen and journalists.  No luck.

Now I caught this story, via IMRA:


Palestinians to Boycott US Reception on Press Freedom Day

RAMALLAH, May 2, 2012 (WAFA) – Twenty Palestinian unions, including the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), called Wednesday for a boycott of a reception organized by the US consulate in Jerusalem to be held in Ramallah on Thursday on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, according to a statement issued by the unions.

...The US consulate has invited Palestinian journalists to a reception planned for [last]Thursday in Ramallah to mark press freedom day...

I do not know of one journalist who lives and works here in Yesha who was invited.  Of course, the Pals. didn't invite us to their event as we can never be "Palestinians", I suppose.

Why are Jews shunned? To be avoided?

Not to be accepted into polite diplomatic society?

Is it that they accept the Palestinian Authority diktat - and philosophy - that although some of us are even American citizens, we are not to share in American tax payers dollars for programs, events, ceremonies, seminars, grants, etc. simply because we are Jewish and living in part of our national homeland.

This I consider truly intolerable.  And immoral.

To be clear, we are invited to the Independence Day bash, so this is not a blanket discrimination but 99% of actual foreign aid or programs are off-limits.

Why don't you write your elected official - local, state and national - and complain.

After all, the PA has been oppressing its journalists.  The US protested?  Actually, yes:-

...Americans continue to vigorously debate how to balance freedom of the press and freedom of expression with other societal obligations.  At the same time, we cannot lose sight of certain universal principles. As Albert Camus once said, “A free press can be good or bad, but, most certainly, without freedom a press will never be anything but bad.”

It is for this reason that the U.S. Government has been honest with its friends when we believe these principles are not being upheld. Last week, we made clear our concern regarding some recent actions by the PA. We are similarly candid with the Israeli government regarding issues related to freedom of the press. And each year, in our annual report on human rights, we document the many restrictions on journalists in Gaza at the hands of Hamas...

But what of the restrictions the Consulate places upon we journalists, Jews residing in communities in Judea and Samaria?  Not even a "separate-but-equal" reception?


^

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Is it racial discrimination?
Is it legal?