It’s beginning to appear that virtually every statement, every tweet, every Facebook Wall posting from the Israeli government about the Flotilla is either steeped in fraud or simply wrong. Earlier today, I posted about what Dena Shunra has aptly called an IDF blood libel against the Flotilla activists, who are claimed to be preparing to “shed blood” of IDF soldiers who attempt to stop them. Allegedly, they’re also bringing “sulfur” aboard the boats in order to attack the IDF in some unspecified way.
The latest piece of hoaxterism is a video which Max Blumenthal, Benjamin Doherty and Ali Abunimah have proven to be a fake. It features an alleged gay man named “Marc Pax,” claiming that he was refused a place on the Flotilla because of his sexual preference. Robert Mackey of the Lede now confirms that the video was a fraud and that three Israeli government officials tweeted about the video at virtually the same time and almost immediately after it was uploaded to the web. The character in the video is in reality, Omer Gershon, an Israeli actor and marketer who has made at least one commercial with a director named Elad Magdasi. You take one look at Gershon’s Groucho-like eyebrows and eyeglasses and you know this guy is a fake. Mackey notes that Magdasi’s YouTube channel prominently flacks videos produced by…are you ready? Stand With Us. Now I wonder whether Magdasi himself has made videos for SWU before?
Would SWU fund such nonsense? Of course not. They’re far too classy a group to do that. In truth, there are any number of equally scuzzy pro-Israel advocacy groups with the means and the will to produce this video, among them LATMA or Clarion Fund. But the SWU connection is most intriguing.
UPDATE: Everything you’ll read about government denials of involvement below was also apparently a lie as no less than the prime minister’s office itself conceded, in effect, that the government was involved in production and dissemination of the video:
The premier’s office in response did not deny that that the government was involved in the video’s production, and admitted that government bodies had distributed the link.
“Various bodies dealing with international media campaigns continuously monitor and distribute internet content when they recognize content that can serve Israel’s campaigns,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
What this tells you is that the Israeli government doesn’t really give a crap whether they’re exposed or not. They didn’t even try to be subtle. It also indicates the utter cynicism of the government toward the international community and world media. The ends, for Bibi & Co., are so much more important than the means. Protecting Israel (as they see it) entitles them to lie and cheat, all in the name of the State.
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When the Israeli government was found to have its hand in the fake cookie jar it reacted with its best Claude Rains-expression of SHOCK, I say shock, that anyone could be so low as to create such a video. It complained loudly: “We were duped.” Yeah, I bet you were. About as duped as the proverbial art forger discovered to have sold a fake Vermeer for millions.
It sternly reprimanded at least one its staff who tweeted about the video. Though my impression is that it reprimanded him for being discovered, rather than for the fake that he acted on behalf of Israel in promoting the video:
“Mr. Seemann is a 25-year-old who is interning in our office. His tweet was a mistake on his part. It was done without authorization and without approval. His mistake has been pointed out to him.”
I’ll bet it was done without authorization or approval. If you consider that the MFA’s Danny Ayalon has declared the Flotilla to be Israel’s Public Enemy #1 and that his sworn mission is to “delegitimize” it by any means necessary, the claim rings hollow.
Yigal Palmor, the MFA’s chief PR flack has dropped the claim that the video is truthful and now calls it a “mockumentary,” as if to say: “We were fooling you all along and did it on purpose.” What the purpose might be is anybody’s guess.
UPDATE I: It’s starting to feel like everyone is coming around the the peace activists’ way of seeing the Gaza siege. Even Allison Rowen Taylor supports the Gaza Flotilla! Well, OK she only gave 1 cent. But every little bit counts, Allison, and we appreciate your support. It just shows you that even the misguided can find the true path and that teshuva is a godly thing. Next thing you know the Flotilla’ll be receiving gifts from the Danny Boys, Dan Gordis and Dan Pipes. Then you’ll really be able to say the leopard’s changed his spots!
There remain a few Israelis though who still are sour pusses as far as the Flotilla is concerned. Those brave hearty souls of the Mossad for example. They’ve been hard at work sabotaging the ships that they can. It appears likely they broke the propeller shaft of one of the Greek boats. H/t Paul Woodward.
Related articles
- Mossad saboteurs attack Gaza flotilla? (warincontext.org)
Hoax? We think ‘lie’.
It was a stupid trick, but the fact is that the most hated people in the Arab – Israeli society are the Homo Sexuals.
a Survey made by The Israeli democracy institute, about the racisem in the Israeli society shows the the most hated group among Arab – Israelis are the Homo Sexuals.
70% of them don’t want to live next to a gay person.
infact the racisem among Arabs is almost 20% more then in the Jewish society. this institute is an extreem left wing institute so i guess you can’t blame them in racisem against Arabs (but i can promise you the are racist against jews).
I’m curious why you think Stand With Us is “far too classy” to produce this kind of video. Are you being facetious? The Bay area Stand With Us activists have even more crude antics online and offline, including (I suspect) their own pro-Israel, Arab lesbian sockpuppets and astroturf groups on Facebook.
The eyebrows are real. The actor is at least 35. He’s no spring chicken–listen to that voice–freshly graduated from college. Given his (apparent) age, it doesn’t make sense that he was a college activist to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” LGBT activists in the USA were not very organized around DADT until the G.W. Bush administration.
The hoax about Marc Pax reminds me of the Caroline Glick “We Con the World”-video after the Mavi Marmara Massacre. Due to the many protests in the days after it’s release, a parrot for the Israeli governement, denied any official involvement. As if we would have dreamed of that …
You can tell that a large part of the Israeli population originated in Easter bloc fascist and Communist countries because their propaganda “hits” are so vicious, and so devious and conniving in their deception.
They definitely brought the tools of their environment with them and play dirty better than anyone in today’s society. The best examples of this are the fascist takeover of the West Bank by illegal squatters complete with encroaching Wall and hundreds of military checkpoints and of course the imprisonment and strangulation of Gaza.
You definitely need expert deception, media manipulation and propaganda to keep this Apartheid operation going under the gaze of the entire world and Israel’s busy hasbara minions extend from Washington to Brussels always ready to crank up the pressure on politicians and spew their scripted lies.
The EU must be quite distracted not to notice these growing fascist tactics and interference with their sovereignty and democracy (sabotage/ propaganda/influence peddling/passport theft…).
Zionist lobbies and their Mossad agents have no concept of external sovereignty and International Law means squat to them – the world is their oyster.
You can tell that a large part of the Israeli population originated in Easter bloc fascist and Communist countries because their propaganda “hits” are so vicious, and so devious and conniving in their deception.
This is an unfair slur on Russia and the Eastern bloc countries.
American anti Zionists seem to use this line for some reason. The anti Palestinian propoganda coming from Israel pales into significance when compared to that which is emanating from the USA.
It is the USA that has the most vicious anti Palestinian propoganda and Islamophobia. Even Shurat HaDin gets it’s funds from Hagee.
Take the worst Israeli extremists and compare them to their American counterparts. It’s the American ones who will win hands down.
I totally disagree with your assessment. Israel and its lobbies are much more vile, devious and dangerous. Americans are willing, duped enablers.
It might be unfair for the countries in question, but Lieberman and the birther queen, Orly Taitz (both originating from Eastern bloc countries) are prime examples representative of the fanatical norm in the West Bank.
But, if we compare American Zionists to West Bank Zionists, West Bank Zionists win hands down in doing justice to their fascist tendancies.
Typo correction: “Eastern” Bloc
I think your comments are hypocritical, and that too because you’re American so you want to hide behind a comfort blanket.
Rabbi Kahane was made in America. Right wing extremists in the USA cannot exist without USA support. This is a fact whether you want to face it or not.
There is no such thing as “willing enablers” as the USA is a FREE society. Nobody is forced to do anyone’s bidding.
Sorry, I meant to say “right wing extremists in Israel cannot exist without US support”.
That is why Netanyhu comes to boot lick the CUFI cult in the USA.
I dare you to say they are “willing enablers”
This is a silly discussion. I think you’re taking this way too personally.
How do you explain for instance Congress jumping up and down for Netanyahu? Seems to me that Congress is as much “Israeli Occupied Territory” as the West Bank.
There is obviously an ignorant, fanatic American mass; I never denied that.
But honestly, the U.S. may be involved in two wars that I oppose, but its not oppressing a entire nation of people and holding them hostage denying them all their rights. I believe these are fascist tactics.
Kalea, I’m afraid your assessment is not entirely correct. Although it is true that many Israelis and many of the Israeli establishment come from Eastern Europe or are direct descendents of Eastern European Jews, most of these people left Eastern Europe before or shortly after the advent of communism and fascism.
The overwhelming majority of immigrants from the communist countries came after the fall of communism in the 1990s and had until recently very little political power. Liberman & co are a recent fenomenon. It’s true that they brought with them a lot of Soviet mentality, but I don’t think they play a significant part in the settler enterprise. Most of them are not religious at all and if they settle in the territories, it is mostly for economic reasons. My understandint is that most of the squaters are fanatical religious settlers, mostly from the US, the West, and from Israel itself.
On the other hand, the current hasbara minister is Yuli Edelshtein, an immigrant from the USSR. Although he had been imprisoned and treated badly by the Soviets for his Jewish activism, it is quite possible that due to his mentality he may have less scruples in employing dirty tricks in order to influence public opinion at home and abroad. By the way, his father Yuri Edelshtein is a respected Russian Orthodox priest and human rights activist in Russia.
Israel is a filthy LIE.
Yr last comment was 4 words. This one was 5. An improvement, though I wish you’d can the hyperbole & express an actual idea.
looooooool Priceless!!
Andrew’s next comment will be 6 words! Idea’s? Now you’re asking for trouble, Richard. 🙂
Thank you for this update, you and Max are spot on. It’s reassuring to see more and more people being swayed by this. I see no reason why the flotilla should not be allowed to go into Gaza. I also see no reason why Israel cannot request monitors to go there and see the aid being unloaded, instead of making these unsubstantiated rumours of sulphur bombs, and nuclear bombs (sarcasm) and what not!.
sulphur is used to protect against snakes, warts, and vampires.
of course, the israeli terrorist force can be all three.
so
sulpher is an all round protector.
They ‘may’ carry chemicals, they ‘may’ be connected to terrorist groups, they ‘may’ be planning to kill soldiers. What is next?
The Israeli Hasbara, whether it’s official or private, should really get some of those numerous Nobel Prize Winners to work for ‘the case of Israel’.
I just read Yossi Gurvitz’ article on the Gay-hoax at 972mag, and as he rightly points out in a comment: you can see the Hebrew letters on the keyboard of our ‘Marc Pax’ at min 1:00 😀
RE: “the MFA’s Danny Ayalon has declared the Flotilla to be Israel’s Public Enemy #1 and that his sworn mission is to ‘delegitimize’ it by any means necessary” – R.S.
INCIDENTALLY: Glenn Beck to address Knesset panel in July ~ by Lahov Harkov, 06/28/11
SOURCE – http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=226855
P.S. Danon and Beck are truly “birds of a feather”, so it comes as no great surprise that they will “flock together”. But Israel should be forewarned that there is no telling what someone like Glenn Beck might do whilst trying to satisfy his messianic complex(es)!
Lots of luck, Israel. With friends like Beck, you’re certainly going to need it.
Will the hasbara industry ever tire of “using” gays for propaganda purposes? Can’t they find some other group to “use” for a change? What about the handicapped? Or the disabled? Or ‘little people’? No, I’ve got just the ticket: the transgenders would love to share the limelight (be “used” for pro-Israel propaganda)!
What really gives the lie to the video is that Leslie Cagan is on The Audacity Of Hope, the US boat. She is a gay activist.