CNN Carries An Untruth

IsraellyCool alerted us to a CNN story about the timeline of the 1978 Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt that claims that the Camp David Accords called for an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. And that "that part about the settlements and the transition is a bold-faced lie." 

How do we know?

Well, first of all, review the text.  The term "settlements" doesn't even appear.

And secondly, here is from Khaled Elgindy's Oslo and the Settlements: How the Oslo Accords Enabled Continued Settlement Growth.  He was a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy. He previously served with the Negotiations Support Unit in Ramallah as an advisor to the Palestinian leadership on permanent status negotiations with Israel (2004 –2009).

...the Oslo Accords, including the 1993 Declaration of Principles (“DOP”) and the 1995 Interim Agreement as well as subsequent agreements and protocols, did not deal directly with the issue of Israeli settlements, either with regard to their legal status (i.e., under international humanitarian law) or in terms of limiting their continued expansion.

...Oslo’s failure to bring about a genuine settlement freeze led to unprecedented settlement growth and severely undermined prospects for a negotiated two-state solution...we can identify at least three fundamental flaws in Oslo’s handling of Israeli settlements, which have had far-reaching implications:

...First and most obviously, the Oslo Accords failed to include an explicit reference to ending (or even limiting) Israeli settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Indeed, while Palestinians frequently cite continued settlement activity as a “violation of Oslo,” successive Israeli governments have assiduously pointed out that Oslo contains no reference to a settlement freeze as such...

That seems fairly clear so how did CNN flub it?

...the Oslo Accords deferred any resolution of the settlements, Jerusalem and other core issues of the conflict for a period of several years. Article V of the DOP (reiterated in Article XVII (1(a)) of the Interim Agreement) provided for a five year “transitional period” during which negotiations would take place on all remaining so-called “permanent status” issues, including Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, security arrangements, borders and other bilateral matters...not only did Israel continue to expand settlements throughout the interim period, the indefinite postponement of a permanent status agreement meant it would continue doing so indefinitely.

...Another problematic aspect of the Accords is their (and by extension, the PLO’s) implicit acceptance of Israeli definitions of key terms, including “settlements”, “West Bank” and “Jerusalem”. Article XII(5) of the Interim Agreement states:

For the purpose of this Agreement, “the Settlements” means, in the West Bank the settlements in Area C; and in the Gaza Strip – the Gush Katif and Erez settlement areas, as well as the other settlements in the Gaza Strip, as shown on attached map No. 2.

Meanwhile, Article XI(3)(c) defined “Area C” as “areas of the West Bank outside Areas A and B… except for the issues that will be negotiated in the permanent status negotiations…” [i.e., settlements and Jerusalem].

In addition, although the terms “West Bank” and “Jerusalem” were not expressly defined, various references throughout the agreement to “the Palestinian people of the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip” (Preamble, Article III(3), Article IV) make clear that these constitute separate and distinct geographic designations. In other words, whereas Palestinians (and international law) consider East Jerusalem an integral part of the West Bank, the Oslo agreements treat “Jerusalem” and “West Bank” as distinct and mutually exclusive geographic entities, in conformity with standard Israeli definitions and usage.

This has far reaching implications indeed. By lending de facto recognition to Israeli-defined “Jerusalem”, including the 70 square kilometers of the West Bank annexed by Israel in 1967 to unilaterally expand the Jerusalem municipality, both Oslo and its PLO negotiators confer a degree of legitimacy to Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, thereby undermining the legal basis for territorial negotiations—the 1967 line—as well as Palestinian claims to Jerusalem. In practical terms, it meant that the dozen or so settlements located within Israeli-defined municipal Jerusalem, at the time comprising 54% of the settler population, were not counted as settlements under Oslo. More importantly, this state of affairs applies not only to the interim period, but also to the Oslo-defined future permanent status negotiations. In other words, when it came time to negotiate the permanent fate of the settlements, Israel could claim (and indeed has done so consistently) that Jewish “neighborhoods” within Israeli municipal Jerusalem were simply not on the table as they are not “settlements”...

More here and also here.

^

Employment Practices at CNN: You Jewish?

Remember the story of CNN firing its Jewish employees?

HonestReporting came out defending CNN:-

CNN was victim of an internet smear after downsizing its Jerusalem bureau. HonestReporting clears the air.  Faced with the evidence that we have seen and our own conversations with media professionals based in Jerusalem, we have concluded that the charges laid at CNN’s door are speculative at best.

I wasn't fully convinced and thought that without knowing exactly what positions were being filled by the remaining Israelis, I wouldn't give CNN a pass.

Well, now we have this version:

CNN’s decision to fire four Jewish Israeli journalists from the cable network’s Jerusalem bureau earlier this month was due in part to their religion and nationality, and to their perceived inability to operate freely throughout the Middle East, the Algemeiner has learned.  “The fact is, just Jewish Israelis were fired from CNN,” said a source who was directly involved in the layoffs and who requested anonymity. While reports said CNN had fired all its Jewish workers from the bureau, the source told the Algemeiner that “they left 2 Jewish Israeli journalists but here’s the catch, they’re each working one shift a week for 8 hours.”

Bureau head Kevin Flower was quoted

....as telling staffers that “we need journalists but we will need journalists that are able to go to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and to all the Middle East.”

Oh, do you want to work for CNN?  There's an opening:

On February 15th, Turner Broadcasting, the parent company of CNN, posted a job listing, with the following description:  The Jerusalem photojournalist is responsible for recording images and sound to illustrate CNN news events and stories as well as editing and feeding video.

The location for the position is posted as “United Arab Emirates – Abu Dhabi.”.

_____________

UPDATE

There is a new comment on the post "CNN Falls Victim to Internet Smear".

Author: J brown
February 27, 2012
8:05 pm

The issue was made By the French journalist grumberg

Which was what the journalist staffing numbers remaining in the Israel bureau may mean to reporting. THAT
1) CNN evaded the question and did Not answer questions that would illuminate
2) that it appears despite the 7 staff there are not journalists among the remaining Jewish Israelis working there.

If grumbergs report is an accurate representation of his conversation with CNN

Then 4)” honest reporting “- no offence to their hopefull sincere moniker of intent; has only further obfuscated and confused what Grumberg’s account makes obvious CNN feels it is a proxy for the news that should be obeyed, without questioning.  There are no Jewish reporters likely representing the CNN Israel Bureau Yes it is apparent a literal employee number error was made. It. Was/ is not the point. 
Excerpted below
To the question: “How many Jewish journalists and how many arab journalists are left in the bureau now? Are you going to replace the four israelis that were fired by four arabs, or by no one? An Arab and an Israeli used to work with each other on subjects, is this still going to be the case? How will you achieve that without Jewish journalists?”

CNN’s response was: “There are 4 Jewish employees out of 7. One bureau chief. This information should be reflected in your piece. And we repeat that there is no basis for your question below about “no Jewish journalists”. Please amend your piece accordingly.”

I restated my question -again-: “Again, out of the 4 Jewish employes now, how many are journalists?”

That was three days ago, and guess what: she never got back to me. And if I did not get an answer, it is because the answer would have unmasked CNN manipulative narrative, and confirm my first article.

Now here is the new scoop. I found the answers that CNN hid, and I give them to you as an exclusive.

True, there still are four Jewish employees at CNN after they expelled four prominent Jewish journalists.

There is one Field producer, full-time.

The second person is an engineer, he deals with computers, satellites, and live broadcasts transmission.

The other two are eight hours per week desk employes, ie answering the phone, and typing cables.

The outcome of this story is that CNN PR, and CNN Spokesperson lied to me, playing with words to make me believe that Jerusalem bureau has four Jewish journalists, and they tried to apply pressure with this deception so that I would censor my article.

CNN: In which closet are you hiding Israeli journalists to ensure honest reporting on the Arab-Palestinian conflict? Who is delivering the propaganda packaged now?

Reproduction is authorized,

^

CNN's Fool Picture?

Honest Reporting has a reaction and a basic denial to the CNN downsizing story spin of 'getting rid of the Jews' that I blogged about.

I am more circumspect and here's the comment I left there:

in reading this, "CNN currently has seven employees working in CNN’s Jerusalem bureau, four of whom are Jewish", I would feel much more assured if I knew the positions of these employees. Reporter? Editor? Fact-checker? Cameraman? Soundman? Producer? Secretary?

The other side of being so biased is that until all the facts are in, one should give CNN but a pass. In American football, we have the slow-motion playback reviews. CNN has had too many yellow flags tossed about to feel complacent about this one without a fool [like that pun?] picture.

^

CNN Divests Itself of Israeli-Jewish Veteran Employess

Tipped off by EoZ, I learned that Jean-Patrick Grumberg of Dreuz.info is reporting

CNN Israel fired all Jewish journalists

...the names of the four journalists that were fired:
Moshe Cohen, editor, fired on january 30, 10 years with CNN.
Izi Landberg [that should be Lemberg, I think], Producer, about 25 years with CNN, fired on January 30. Avi Kaner cameraman fired on january 30, 10 years with CNN. Michal Zippori desk producer, situation still unclear.

...[this is a scandal that] is likely to provoke a wave of shock and indignation within the North American media industry, and it certainly will not calm down the controversy over the pro-palestinian CNN treatment of the conflict.

We learned today that the Israeli branch of CNN, located in Jerusalem, is downsizing to cope with reduced income from less advertising.

What goes beyond good management is that CNN has fired four Israeli Jewish journalists (out of a crew of 8), and has retained only Arab journalists. Where, until now, CNN always sent a Jewish and an Arab journalist to cover information, now there will be only an Arab journalist. The local chief editor of the News Chanel is now Arabic.

He asserts

This is a conflict where information is central to public opinion, and it weighs a lot on diplomatic decisions. Furthermore, it is no secret that Arab journalists cannot freely publish what they want without risking for their own lives when traveling to Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Judea Samaria. Thus, CNN decision to fire all Jewish journalists from its Jerusalem office is of particular concern, because the general public is unaware that they will be receiving biased information from CNN.

I tried to get reliable confirmation but besides the fact that I was informed that there are stilll Israelis employed there, I am, at this moment, unable to state that this is 100% correct.

UPDATE

DG pointed me to this

[David Suissa] met another Jew who is obsessed with the facts, journalist Izzy Lemberg. As a news producer for CNN in Israel, where he just finished a 22-year stint..,

UPDATE II


CNN Cuts Staff in Jerusalem

...CNN has halved the number of staffers in the Jerusalem bureau, from 8 to 4. An editor, producer, cameraman and desk editor were among those let go late last month.

“CNN has recently reviewed its worldwide operations...As part of this exercise, we have reorganized the CNN bureau in Jerusalem...there are Israeli Jews working in CNN’s Jerusalem bureau.”

The spokesperson adds, “We strongly reject any suggestion that the reorganization in the Jerusalem bureau is in any way based on the small number of contract employees concerned being Israeli, particularly given CNN’s long history of working with locals in the region.”

^

CNN and Yesha

I was interviewed today for a CNN TV story on the 'price tag' activists who are really getting out-of-hand and even irrational in their operations, if all that is reported can be proven.

But what I wanted to relate was that when I used the word "Yesha", I was told not to as the audience are unfamiliar with its meaning. I found an alternative, mainly saying 'Judea and Samaria' more quick, but then at home I found this at an earlier web site report:-

Yesha Council Settlements Chairman Dani Dayan told CNN that " the incident was a shameful and ingrateful act that should not have happened."

Well, 'Yesha' is back in, I guess.

^

Bad Headline

CNN can't quite write a correct headline:

Israeli airstrikes target Gaza after multiple attacks

Maybe they finally attempted to indicate that Israel was reacting defensively to a terror attack but

a) no dead are mentioned;

b) the dead are not identified as civilians;

c) and the syntax actually allows the reader to comprehend a falsehood, that perhaps the airstrikes came after Israel had previoulsy attacked Gaza, instead of Gaza terrorists attcking Israel first.

And PJ has this on a BBC headline.

^



CNN Goes for Doubles

In a story backgrounder on the situation of "unrest" in the Middle East, CNN includes 16 countries but the "Palestinian Territories" get repeated:-

Is that the infamous "double-standard" ploy?

^

CNN Goes Into Directional Loss

This video of CNN (here), a report on Gaza by Frederik Pleitgen, is astounding.

All you need to view is the first 10 seconds or so.

The reporter talks to a merchant, Riadh Dessogey, who used to do business with ... Egypt.

And who does he blame for his current misery?

Israel.



- - -

Comment on Hezbollah Respector CNN's Nasr

While it may not be surprising that a CNN editor tweeted her admiration for a dead Hezbollah terrorist, we can all at least admit surprise that the network fired her for it

Fark


- - -

Nasr Got Nasty - Media Bias Action Item

Octavia Nasr's position at CNN has been fatally compromised. CNN cannot continue to employ an apparent Hezbollah sympathiser in such a senior post.

Please send your considered comments to CNN calling on the news organization to take the appropriate action - http://edition.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?112

On Octavia.


- - -

One of the More Outrageous Media-Linked Statements

Found in a NYTimes editorial:

CNN, for now anyway, changes back to something closer to the nonpartisan, straight-up news network it wants you to think of it as, different from its ideologically branded rivals Fox News and MSNBC.

Now, isn't that a sorrowful laugh?

Goodness. CNN Permits The Criticizing Obama

...Meanwhile, critics questioned whether Obama's top staff picks so far represent the "change" that he promised during the campaign. iReport.com: Who would you choose for Obama's cabinet?

More than half of the people named so far to Obama's transition or staff posts have ties to former President Bill Clinton's administration.

The Clinton-heavy team has caused some Republicans to question Obama's call for change.

"I think several individuals are very frustrated to think that President-elect Obama may just cut and paste from some of the Democratic operatives from the Clinton administration and put them into his White House," said Leslie Sanchez, a Republican strategist and CNN contributor.

Republicans aren't the only ones who want Obama to branch out. Robert Kuttner, a liberal and author of "Obama's Challenge," says the president-elect should broaden his recruiting efforts.

"It's not as if the only competent people who ever served in government or who are capable are serving in government are veterans of the Clinton administration, so he's got to be careful how many Clintonistas he appoints to top level government posts," Kuttner said...

Source

CNN Saved From Relaxed Militants' Folly

...The following day, the militants offered 20 minutes' notice for a trip to the rocket factory. A CNN correspondent and photographer were blindfolded and transferred into the back of an unmarked van outside Gaza City. Their mobile phones were confiscated, and the blindfolds were removed only when the van arrived at the plant.

Inside the "factory" -- a tiny room with a dozen rockets lining the walls -- two masked men tried to light a fire from a gas canister to heat the explosives to liquefy them so that they could be poured into shells. Despite the apparent painstaking planning that went into the display, the rocket makers sometimes fell short.

First, the lighter didn't work. Then, a leak in a canister filled the room with suffocating gas. Explosions, euphemistically called "workplace accidents," occur in Gaza from time to time, but the men building the rockets handled deadly ingredients and warheads in a visibly relaxed manner.

(Kippah tip: GayandRight)

More CNN Warring

I was surprised. Seems that an attempt at influencing CCNN's advertisors may be having an affect:-

letters and calls to companies whose ads appeared during CNN's "God's Jewish Warriors" are making a difference! Orkin Pest Control and Raymond James & Associates have responded swiftly and appropriately by asking CNN to make sure that their company's advertisements are not placed in any future repeats of the series, "God's Warriors".

According to Orkin's Assistant VP of Public Relations, Martha Craft:

"We had purchased advertising that was supposed to air on 'Larry King Live' on August 21. CNN changed programming to air 'God's Jewish Warriors' without notifying us ahead of time to obtain our approval - which is against our agreement with the network. We have discussed this with CNN, and they are aware of the severity of their mistake. I am told that 'God's Jewish Warriors' was [part of] a three-part special which has concluded; however, Orkin has added it to our 'do not buy' list ['of offensive shows where we do not allow our ads to run'], should it re-air in the future. We sincerely thank you for bringing this issue to our attention - we can't fix a problem if we're not aware of it."

According to Raymond James' Investor Relations, they were not aware that their ad would run during "God's Jewish Warriors," and they "have requested no further airing of our commercials in any re-broadcast of the series."

So, Now I'm An "Inflamer"?

Christiane Amanpour said it:-

"The Jewish settlements have inflamed much of the Muslim world."

So, she inflames me. Nu.

But someone else was perturbed, someone who thought that Amanpour was broadcasting journalism that was "ultimately shoddy journalism".

Newsbusters reports that

MSNBC Live with Dan Abrams, host and MSNBC General Manager Abrams attacked last Monday CNN's series God's Warriors for "a defense of Islamic fundamentalism and the worst type of moral relativism," and as "shameful advocacy masked as journalism," quipping that series host Christiane Amanpour "avoided getting bogged down in objectivity."

Abrams further took exception with Amanpour for comparing those who support Israel's defense strategy to Muslim terrorists: "Christians and Jews, for example, who support Israel's strategy for self-defense are just as much God's warriors, according to Amanpour, as the Islamic radicals who blow themselves and others up in an effort to destroy the world as we know it."

After contending that Amanpour attempted to "understand" violent Muslim fundamentalists without trying to "understand" evangelical Christians and Israelis, Abrams played a clip of Amanpour in which she "blames the warrior Jews" for the anger of radical Muslims. Amanpour: "Muslims, like people everywhere, abhor terrorism. The small minority who resorts to violence is symptomatic of something many of us have failed to understand: the impact of God's Jewish warriors goes far beyond these rocky hills. The Jewish settlements have inflamed much of the Muslim world."

Of course, if you want to use the verb "inflame" what do you do when faced with the fact that it is Arab terrorists who are inflaming Jews, literally. Molotov cocktails and other firebombs, suicide bombers, etc. We are the ones inflamed.

CNN Canned At Seraphic

Here

Tzippy Was On CNN But...

David Wilder, Hebron's spokesperson, thought she shoudn't have been on (*):-

Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2007 11:00 PM
Subject: CNN, Hebron, and "Warriors of G-d"

Hebron and CNN
Following screening of the CNN production "Warriors of G-d", including a 2 hour segment dealing with Judaism and Israel, I think it appropriate to post the following two letters, between myself and Mr. Jonathan Klein, President of CNN/USA. The two letter are, I think, self-explanatory.

I must note, that following my 'revelation,' I notified a number of people who had, like myself, agreed to participate one way or another, with CNN. Some of them immediately ceased all contact with CNN and refused to take part in the program. Others decided to continue.

Each person can draw their own conclusions.

David Wilder
Hebron

From: Hebron [mailto:hebron@hebron.org.il]
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 5:44 PM
To: 'public.information@cnn.com'
Subject: Cnn production of Religion and politics - produced by Andy Segal
Importance: High


Dear Mr. Klein,

A couple of months ago I was approached by one of your Israeli correspondents about participating in a program produced by CNN, dealing with politics and religion in Judaism. He introduced me to Mr. Andy Segal, who is producing the program, and we had several lengthy conversations, first by phone, and later in person, here in Hebron, in Israel. Our conversations were quite open and frank – I saw no reason to hide my suspicions about cooperating with CNN – the network's reputation concerning Israel is less than positive. We discussed this at great length, and at one point Andy requested to center the program around Hebron and the Hebron Jewish community.

Following much thought and conversations with colleagues of mine, I decided to refuse Andy's request, but did agree to participate in a more minor role in the program, basing our response to each request on its own merits.

A couple of weeks ago Andy again made contact and we spoke of several possibilities. He was interested in speaking to a family which had experienced terror first-hand, and had chosen to remain in Hebron, despite their loss and the dangers involved. I decided to try to assist and introduced him to Mrs. Tzippy Shlissel, whose father, Rabbi Shlomo Ra'anan, was killed by terrorists in Hebron some eight and a half years ago. He met with her three times: first an introductory meeting, followed by an in-depth interview, and followed, earlier today, by a filmed interview and filming of the family, home, etc.

So far so good.


However…

When we first discussed this project I asked Andy who was responsible for writing the script. He told me that he would be working on it, but there would be others involved. To the best of my recollection, my impression was that he was 'in charge' and for the most part, would determine the outlook of the script and would be 'on top' of the entire project.

This afternoon, that illusion shattered when he mentioned to me that in a few months, the chief international CNN correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, would be coming to Israel and would probably also want to speak with Mrs. Shlissel. Almost in shock, I asked him what her role is in this project. He told me that she is the narrator. I asked if she would have anything to do with writing the script and was told that "I will write the first draft." "Will she have anything to do with writing the final draft?" "Yes."


I then told Andy that had I known she was involved with this project I would not have had anything at all to do with it.

I am personally familiar with Christiane Amanpour. A number of years ago (about 10 years ago) she interviewed me. I had the dubious pleasure to have her yell and scream at me on camera. She obviously wanted me to scream back, so as to show her viewers 'an extremist from Hebron' exploding on camera. I refused to play into her hands and answered all her questions with a relaxed, calm smile on my face. However, I never forgot the interview. I haven't been yelled at, on camera, by too many journalists.

How can CNN produce an 'objective program' about Israel and religious settlers, when one of the prime elements of the program is known to be vehemently 'anti-Israel' and certainly 'anti-settlers,' so to speak? Her reputation is so blatantly prejudiced. For example: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/03/from-terrorism-to-trash -collection_28.html

So when people ask: "Why did the Palestinian people elect a terrorist group?" The answer is because they see them as a lifeline.

Each time I go to the Palestinian territory of Gaza, I am shocked by the reality on the ground. On a recent visit, I passed through a short tunnel from the First World in Israel and emerged into the Third World that is Gaza. The poverty there is among the worst in the world.

Hamas officials told me they did not expect to win the election as overwhelmingly as they did. They say their main priority now is to meet the demands of the people for a better life.

But that may be impossible, because Israel and the United States refuse to deal with Hamas and have already cut funding to the new Palestinian government.

Posted By Christiane Amanpour, CNN Correspondent: 11:03 AM ET



A woman who justifies and backs Hamas is going to deal 'fairly' with Jews in Hebron, or anywhere else in Judea and Samaria? She is going to present us as 'religious nuts and fanatics' who are endangering world peace. She is certainly not going to present anything that could be considered positive concerning us, our lifestyles or our beliefs. She is certainly not going to present a balanced, objective program dealing with religious Jews and Eretz Yisrael.

I basically told Andy that I was out – and wouldn't have anything more to do with the project. I put a rather large degree of trust in Andy – I believed that he had the possibility to present an object, balanced program. However, I cannot have any trust whatsoever in Christiane Amanpour, whose reputation stands before her.

Andy Segal told me that you are responsible for this project, that you initiated it. Without being presumptuous, I think it fair to demand that Christiane Amanpour be removed from this project. I cannot imagine that such a biased person could have anything to do with a project dealing with religion and politics in Israel. The results are a foregone conclusion, even before the cameras start rolling. The question is whether the program you are producing is to be an interesting objective account of religion and politics in Israel, or another CNN-produced Israel (settler)-bashing?

I await your reply and hope, very much, to learn that Ms. Amanpour will no longer have anything to do with this project.

Sincerely,

David Wilder
Spokesman
The Jewish Community of Hebron

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Klein, Jon [mailto: Jon.Klein@turner.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 6:41 PM
To: hebron@hebron.org.il
Subject: Response to your email dated January 30, 2007

February 13, 2007


Mr. David Wilder
Spokesman
The Jewish Community of Hebron
February 12, 2007

Dear Mr. Wilder,

Let me begin by thanking you for your comments. I am sorry that the Jewish Community of Hebron has chosen not to be represented in our documentary. Our mission is to produce a program that goes far beyond what is normally seen in daily news broadcasts so that our viewers can better understand the people who risk their lives -- and their children's - to live on land they believe is their birthright: Jerusalem and the West Bank. Our goal is not to find fault or fix blame -- but to simply understand. To that end, I believe that you are missing a prime opportunity to be heard, not only in the United States, but in 180 countries around the world, and I would ask you to reconsider.

Regardless of your decision, I stand by CNN's reputation as a fair and impartial source of information. On conflicts as heated and long-standing as that between Israel and the Palestinians it is not surprising that "both sides" are at times unhappy with our reporting. We often hear that we are biased towards the other side, and that may be the surest indication of our impartiality.

Christiane Amanpour is one of our most talented and prominent international correspondents, and she is supported by a team of our strongest producers. In fact Andy Segal, our senior producer, is one of the best. As you probably have discovered, Andy comes to the table prepared. He is fair, honorable and ethical - a journalist who takes his work very seriously. He has produced a number of award-winning documentaries. Andy and his team are researching, producing and writing this documentary, and you can be assured that his reporting will shape the final program. As a spokesman for a prominent organization, I am sure you appreciate the need for others input before you represent the positions and views of Hebron's Jewish community. The same is true at CNN - not only will Ms. Amanpour have input, but so will editors and executives, to insure journalist standards and practices are met. In the end a program like this will be fully vetted and sourced.

I can honestly say that if you decide not to contribute to this program - perhaps the fullest exploration of this issue ever seen on western television - you may regret missing the opportunity to let millions of viewers understand your story. I hope you will reconsider your decision, but if not, you can be assured the program will meet the highest standards of journalism.

Sincerely,

Jon Klein



Jon Klein

President, CNN U.S.

One Time Warner Center

New York, NY 10019

==============================
==============================

(*) UPDATE

David writes me about Tzippy:

They had already filmed her - That material belonged to them - I couldn't stop them from using it - but from that time on I had nothing to do with them. (From reactions I've received, she actually came over well).

CAMERA on CNN

CNN's "God's Warriors" was discussed among some activists a while back when I was approached by people, David Wilder and Sondra Baras, who were asked to participate (no, they didn't want me and you know why). We debated and deliberated whether or not to go along with them.

Well, as you know, it's out and on and CAMERA tore it to pieces and here are two of my favorite themes:-

Settlements

• Amanpour suggests settlements are the cause of Arab anger: "the Jewish settlements have inflamed much of the Arab world," yet the Arab world was just as anti-Israel (actually more so) before the settlements were built.

• She presents at length the views of Theodor Meron asserting the illegality of settlements as the definitive word, but makes no mention of more senior Israeli experts such as former Supreme Court Chief Meir Shamgar, who disagreed with Meron. Nor does Amanpour mention such foreign experts such as Professors Julius Stone and Eugene Rostow who also argued for the legality of settlements. See for example From "Occupied Territories" to "Disputed Territories" by Dore Gold.

• She grossly misleads about America's position on settlements in the following sequence:

WILLIAM SCRANTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: My government believes that international law sets the appropriate standards.

AMANPOUR: From the earliest days of the settler movement, even the United States, Israel's closest ally, blasted Israel's settlement policy.

SCRANTON: Substantial resettlement of the Israeli civilian population in occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, is illegal.

AMANPOUR: Ever since American presidents both Democrat and Republican have spoken from virtually the same script. They consistently oppose settlement growth.

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT: The United States will not support the use of any additional land for the purpose of settlements.

In fact, Reagan said: "As to the West Bank, I believe the settlements there -- I disagreed when the previous Administration referred to them as illegal, they're not illegal" (NYTimes, Feb. 3, 1981). Others did not deem settlements "illegal."

• Amanpour continuously discounts the context of the Arab world. She says with regard to the post Six-Day War period: "But the Israeli government was divided - trade the captured land for peace or keep it and build Jewish settlements." Unmentioned is the Arab refusal to "trade" anything for peace as embodied in the three "no's" delivered at a summit in Khartoum declaring there would be no negotiation, no recognition and no peace with Israel.

Jerusalem/Temple Mount, and The Holy Places

• Amanpour says: "It was from here, according to Muslim scripture, that the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven around the year 630. But Hebrew scripture puts the ancient Jewish Temple in the same location, destroyed by the Romans in the year 70. For the next 1,900 years, even the last remnant of the temple known as the Wailing Wall, or the Western Wall, was lost to the Jews."

a) Muslim scripture refers to Mohammed ascending to heaven from the "farthest mosque," which could not have been on the Temple Mount, since the mosque there wasn't built until well after the death of Mohammed.

b) The Western Wall isn't a remnant of the Temple, it is merely a retaining wall built to extend and flatten the Temple Mount. And there are indeed actual remains of the First and Second Temples on the Temple Mount.

c) Although Amanpour notes the holiness of the Temple Mount to Jews and Muslims, and some Jews in clips say that it is the holiest site for Jews, she never points this out herself, nor does she mention that Hebron is Judaism's second holiest city with its second holiest shrine.

d) Amanpour interviews the Muslim Grand Mufti of Jerusalem to give a Muslim perspective on the Al Aqsa Mosque, but no Jewish Rabbinical figure is presented to discuss the paramount religious importance of the Temple Mount to Jews.

And Missy Christy is married to a Jew.

Doesn't he know better?

CNN's "God's Warriors" - Sondra

Sondra Baras, a good friend (what else?), starred in a segment of the series here.

A brief transcript excerpt:-

MELBOURNE, Florida (CNN) -- Sondra Oster Baras is an Orthodox Jew doing an unorthodox job.

"If you had asked me 10 years ago what I would be doing with my life, I don't think I would have told you I'd be in church," she said.

Baras stumps for money from evangelical Christians to support Jewish settlements in the occupied territories -- land she calls biblical Israel.

A recent stop finds her in Melbourne, Florida, visiting Pastor Gary Christofaro at his First Assembly Church of God.

Christofaro and his flock take their Jewish roots so seriously that on Friday nights they observe the Jewish Sabbath with Hebrew prayers.

CNN Warrior

From a report on CNN's "God's Warriors"-

One colorful personality that Amanpour interviewed for the documentary was Yehuda Etzion, founder of the Israeli settlement movement and once a leader of the Jewish underground. Etzion was convicted and imprisoned for his involvement in the plot to bomb the Islamic shrine Dome of the Rock in 1984. In an interview with Amanpour, Etzion (commenting on the religious importance of the Temple Mount) intoned, “Redemption without the Temple is like trying to revive someone without a heart.” In contrast, another character featured in God’s Warriors, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti (Islamic scholar) of Jerusalem pertaining to the same topic said, “The temple [the Jewish Temple] only exists in the illusion of people who speaks of it.”

And as for "tired" Olmert:-

Palestinian negotiators drafting an agreement behind the scenes with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office have made clear they will not accept any final peace deal with Israel unless the Jewish state forfeits the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, WND has learned.

According to a report in Israel's Yediot Aharonot daily yesterday, Olmert is willing to discuss joint Israeli-Palestinian control over the Temple Mount complex. The report didn't state the positions of the Palestinian side on the issue.

A chief Palestinian negotiator, speaking to WND on condition his name be withheld, said yesterday, "there can be no agreement with Israel unless we get complete sovereignty of the Mount. Once Palestinian control over the [Temple Mount] is fixed, then we will make assurances for Jewish visits to the site."

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