Saturday, August 18, 2007

Arab Example of Media Strategy

Comment: The following "story" is demonstrative of the ongoing and persistent message and word pictures used effectively against Israel. Please note the following: 1. it is always Israel's fault and only because of Israel ...2. focus attention on your enemy, this takes focus off your corrupt leaders and people who failed for 3 decades to create any sustainable infrastructure. 3. never mention the billions of dollars that the world has given you and never mention where the monies were spent 4. focus on being the victim,again and again,this plays well in sympathetic western ears 5.never tell the truth why there are checkpoints 7. never explain that travel occurs within the disputed territory in spite of the checkpoints 8. avoid mentioning what goes on routinely at a checkpoint-always describe them as making one miserable. The more colorful the negative descriptors, the better the story.Count the number of "explosive" adjectives in the story below! This is for your consumption, to see how "miserable" they are.


Checkpoint Makes Village Life Miserable

RAMALLAH, West Bank, 18 August 2007 — “The Israeli military checkpoint at the entrance of our village is hanging us and is hindering any progress of several aid projects,” said Abdulbasit Hannini, the mayor of West Bank town of Beit Fourik, yesterday. He added that the Israeli checkpoint, erected at the sole entrance of the town since 2001, “turned the life of Beit Fourik’s 11,000 residents into real hell.” Checkpoint Makes Village Life Miserable Mohammed Mar’i, Arab News —

RAMALLAH, West Bank, 18 August 2007 — “The Israeli military checkpoint at the entrance of our village is hanging us and is hindering any progress of several aid projects,” said Abdulbasit Hannini, the mayor of West Bank town of Beit Fourik, yesterday. He added that the Israeli checkpoint, erected at the sole entrance of the town since 2001, “turned the life of Beit Fourik’s 11,000 residents into real hell.”Hannini stated that during the last two years the checkpoint has made the continuation of work by existing international aid projects impossible. “These projects have previously been responsible for several developments in the town, including the foundation of a high school and a children’s playground. The projects have also provided services that include dam reinforcement, the rehabilitation of Palestinians, re-surfacing of streets and reinstatement of electricity.”In addition to this, Hannini said, “the town had previously been able to establish good relations with surrounding Palestinian and international civil and legal organizations in order to expose illegal Israeli practices in the area. Hannini expressed great concern regarding the impact of the checkpoint, focusing upon the progress of the village and future aspirations, under the following headings.

In addition to the foundation of a high school, children’s playground, dam reinforcement, waste disposal, drainage systems and rehabilitation of Palestinians, the town hopes to see many more projects, the most significant of which will involve the town’s water. This initiative will see the creation of a water storage facility. The town also hopes to see a municipal transmission line, and the establishment of an internal network. These are only a few of the plans we currently have for the town.

Despite the number of difficulties and restrictions the town has endured over the past few years by Israeli authorities, the residents are whole-heartedly devoted to their village, work and community spirit, Hannini said. Evidently the Israeli checkpoint is the “most destructive of the restrictions.”“It prevents not only the freedom of local residents to travel to other towns and villages; it also prohibits various important organizations from entering. This is rendering the village incapable of any form of progress,” the mayor notified.

Hannini said that the Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint “humiliate the residents by exposing them to a thorough security check once they pass the checkpoint.” “No one can imagine a how we are living in these miserable conditions where the dignity of a human being is crushed by the Israeli soldiers for the past years,” he said with sorrow.The obstacles facing the residents are numerous and debilitating. “The main issue facing Beit Fourik residents is that their aspirations are far beyond their capabilities, due to the restrictions they endure.

Perhaps the most difficult of these obstacles is the lack of executive authority, governing over and implementing the decisions and laws of the people. This is of course due to the allocation of the village under zone “B” which does not fall within the Palestinian Authority’s jurisdiction but within that of the Israeli jurisdiction.”In addition to the Israeli policies, the financial blockade has hit the village hard. “Due to political reasons (the international economic embargo imposed on the Palestinian Authority after the Hamas victory in Palestinian legislative elections in 2006), funds received from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have been stopped, which has consequently damaged prospects for the local high school, whilst also delaying the development of a water network,” Hannini stated.In addition to these difficulties, the presence of Israeli settlers has resulted in an increased amount of abuse to local land and agriculture. Despite all of this, Hannini concluded by saying that the Beit Fourik residents, as a whole, are cooperative and hope to preserve their achievements. “Although we encounter difficulties here and there, we must aim to deal with them with common sense and patience, tools which have helped us to overcome our problems thus far.”



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