Maariv: Haiti’s Disaster, Good for Jews « Tikun Olam-תיקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

Maariv: Haiti’s Disaster, Good for Jews

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9 Responses to “Maariv: Haiti’s Disaster, Good for Jews”

Conrad Barwa says:

January 24, 2010 at 3:52 AM

Richard – this is one of the occasions (few!) where I would be less critical of Israel and Israeli actions than you have been; but I agree that is a shocking headline – I actualy re-read it three times and your article, hoping that I had misunderstood it, but unfortunately not!

Just two things: firstly, I am a bit unsure as to how exactly this is meant to be ‘good for the Jews’ is it just the PR of the aid effort or the distraction from Goldstone/Gaza – because I find both of these arguements kind of weak. The former because lots of other countries are doing more, mainly because they can spare more, than Israel and even on a per capita basis, we are told that Sweden is one of the most generous donors, so the Israeli PR story is really a very small one and doesn’t seem to warrant this kind of headline. As for the second, from what I can see though, Goldstone/Gaza was effectively on the backburner anyway, with Afghanistan and Iran taking centrestage – in anycase, it is an issue that won’t go away and will be able to re-emerge unlike a disaester story which tends to run out after a few weeks.

Secondly, is the tone and content of the rest of the article more moderate and reflective – maybe the headline was ironic or just designed to grab attention (however ill-advised) as a hook for the rest of the story? Maybe I am grabbing at straws here but I can’t read Hebrew, so can’t tell.

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mary says:

January 24, 2010 at 7:51 AM

Well, that’s an interesting new way to tip the demographic scales – import orphans from natural and man-made disasters into Israel and convert them to Judaism. Voila! Instant Israeli citizens. Never mind that the kids would be better off staying in their own countries with their own cultures and their own religions. Never mind that it’s almost the equivalent of British aristocracy kidnapping Native American children in the 1700′s and spiriting them back to England to be raised there.

The thinking coming out of Israel these days just becomes more and more bizarre and dysfunctional every day.

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Israeli media consultant in Maariv: ‘The Haiti Disaster is Good for the Jews’ says:

January 24, 2010 at 8:48 AM

[...] that Richard Silverstein is on this story [...]

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William Burns says:

January 24, 2010 at 9:07 AM

Wasn’t Israel kidnapping babies and converting them to Judaism what the Turkish TV show that started the whole brouhaha between Israel and Turkey about?

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Mooser says:

January 24, 2010 at 9:27 AM

They aren’t going to circumcise those kids near or past the age of sexual maturity, are they? That’s barbaric.
I was the victim of a botched bris (too much to drink, I think) and it hasn’t been pretty, and pretty devastating until I found out exactly what was wrong.
Good God.

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Shirin says:

January 24, 2010 at 12:38 PM

Yeah, well, shortly after 9/11/01 Bibi Netanyahu said the attacks were a very good thing for Israel, or words to that effect. So, what’s new in the Land of the Narcissists?

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DICKERSON3870 says:

January 26, 2010 at 8:02 AM

RE: “The die-hard pro-Israelists were shocked that I could question Israel’s motives in bringing a field hospital to Haiti along with a full contingent of IDF press handlers…” – R.S.
SEE: Italian official condemns Haiti earthquake relief as ‘vanity parade’, guardian.co.uk, Monday 25 January 2010
(EXCERPT)…The Italian government official who led the country’s response to the L’Aquila earthquake has condemned relief efforts in Haiti as a disorganised “vanity parade”, ahead of an international conference on rebuilding the devastated country…
…Having arrived in Haiti on Friday, Bertolaso said he had seen “a terrible situation that could have been managed much better”.
“When there is an emergency it triggers a vanity parade. Lots of people go there anxious to show that their country is big and important, showing solidarity,” he said.
He expressed doubt over the efficacy of having so many US military personnel involved. “It’s a truly powerful show of force but it’s completely out of touch with reality. They don’t have close rapport with the territory, they certainly don’t have a rapport with the international organisations and aid groups.”…
ENTIRETY – http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/25/italy-condemns-haiti-earthquake-relief-effort

P.S. If any government can qualify as an expert on vanity, surely it must be the Berlusconi government!

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Robin says:

January 26, 2010 at 11:03 AM

FYI since the comments have been that KSA has not donated

Kingdom donates $50m for Haiti quake relief
Sultan Al-Tamimi | Arab News

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia will donate $50 million in aid to earthquake-devastated Haiti. “On instructions from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, the Kingdom will donate $50 million to assist the Haitian people,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Osama Nugali said Monday.

The cash donation is thought to be the largest given by a Middle Eastern country, although some have made significant donations in kind. The funds will be channeled through the United Nations.

Last week, the secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, urged all OIC member states and Islamic organizations to provide help to Haiti following the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Meanwhile, the Riyadh-based Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) has become one of the first organizations in the Kingdom to donate to Haiti, with a contribution of $100,000. “The contribution is an extension to the role of the Arab Gulf Program and its humanitarian stand in alleviating the suffering of victims, and it is in response to the urgent call from the Haitian government for humanitarian assistance,” AGFUND spokesman Abdul Latiff said.
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You can be assured that private donations were made as well without shouting it from the minarets.

Read further

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=131853&d=26&m=1&y=2010&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

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mary says:

January 26, 2010 at 6:01 PM

http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=27166&lan=en&sid=1&sp=0&isNew=1

This article give a good rundown of the donations made by the “Muslim countries.”

Saudi Arabia made a gift pledge of $500 million.

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