The Israeli business paper, Globes, reports (Hebrew) on an interview aired on Israeli TV by former Channel 10 CEO, Raduar Benziman, who quit his post after agreeing to air an abject apology to Sheldon Adelson for an unflattering documentary it aired about the unsavory business practices of the gambling magnate. Benziman disclosed that Netanyahu sealed a deal some time ago to shut down Channel 10, which has aired some of the most explosive exposes of Bibi, his patrons and cronies over the past few months.
This confirms a report I received from an independent journalistic source on the same subject.
I’m not so sure I agree with Benziman’s logic in approving airing the apology and then resigning. He said he could’ve fought the matter till the end, but that he’d been warned of lawsuits totalling millions of dollars in both Israel and the U.S. Why anyone would worry about a U.S. lawsuit? As the threshhold to prove libel against a controversial public figure like Adelson is extremely high. The TV CEO felt that rejecting airing an apology would jeopardize the jobs of hundreds of his employess. Did it matter much, since they’ll all lose their jobs anyway when Channel 10 goes under?
First, Radio All for Peace is silenced and soon Channel 10. You can chalk this up as another victory of onrushing Israeli authoritarian rule, which runs roughshod over press freedom and most other values cherished by democratic countries.
And, despite all, Israel will — to you know who — remain the darling baby, the only “democracy”, in the ME (maybe in the world, or even the universe, both known and unknown).
And the world will sink under the ravages of Global warming (most ravages still to come but securely “in train”, a slow-moving train-wreck) due to CORPORATE oligarchic rule over most world governments, certainly over USA’s and perhaps also Israel’s, corporations having no sense of impending history and very short time-lines and very bright bottom-lines.
A world of democracies, including Israel and the USA, if they would resume democratic governance, might stave off some of GW’s ravages. totalitarian states almost certainly will not, because totalitarian leaderships are too narrow-minded.
Soon your blog will be the only reasonably reliable source of information about what happens here. Keep up the good work
What are the other democracies in the Middle East?
Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, Tunisia & soon to be Egypt. Palestine would be a democracy if Israel would allow the winner of elections to actually rule.
Iran??? Press freedom truly is cherished there…
About as much as press freedom is “cherished” by Israel’s Knesset. Iran closes newspapers. Bibi closes TV stations. What’s the diff?
You think Iran is a democracy?
Haven’t they had the same unelected Supreme Leader ruling the country for the past twenty-two years?
I didn’t say what kind of democracy Iran was. But it is a democracy in that it has an elected president & Majlis. We can argue about whether its a truncated or imperfect democracy (I’d agree with you). But it is as much a democracy as Israel is. Lebanon too is not a perfect democracy, but again it is one.
You asked which democracies there were in the ME. You didn’t ask which “perfect” democracies there were there.
North Korea also has elections.
From Wikipedia:
Elections in North Korea are held every five years. At the national level, North Koreans elect a legislature, the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA). In addition to the Supreme People’s Assembly, the people elect representatives to city, county, and provincial “people’s assemblies”
Neither Iran nor North Korea is a democracy, imperfect or otherwise.
In both cases, most political parties are banned and the real decision makers are unelected.
In Iran, this would be the Supreme Leader whose power is absolute and whose decisions are never challenged.
Iran is a democracy. North Korea is not. The Ayatollah is a Supreme Spiritual Leader who also controls elements of political life making decisions regarding national security. He does not control issues like the domestic economy & other internal political dimensions. THere is currently a battle between him and the president for political power. So indeed the Ayatollah’s power is not absolute and his decisions are being challenged. I’d suggest yr knowledge of Iran is imperfect at best.
I don’t want to get into an argument or debate with you about which nations are democractic & which aren’t as this is off topic. You asked a simply question & I answered it. We’ve debated this issue before & I don’t want to repeat that. So let’s move on.
Are you suggesting here that Palestine would be a democracy if Israel would allow Hamas to actually rule? Is Hamas the “winner” of elections to which you refer here?
Haven’t you yourself called for Abu Mazen to destroy Hamas? Have you not called for the US and Israel to strengthen and empower Abu Mazen so that he and the PA can eliminate Hamas?
This is the group that you think would bring democracy to the Palestinians if given the chance?
About Sheldon Adelson’s career,
Can anyone tell me, does Halacha forbid gambling?
IT would certainly take a very dim view of it. But I don’t think Adelson is an observant Jew.
No clear cut answer, but some authorities ban it unless you go there knowing that you lose, and do it for fun, otherwise it is considered stealing by the casino owner who knows the odds are in his favour, wheareas the gambler is ignorant of the fact.
For the same reason the same authorities forbid buying lottery tickets unless you are completely assuming that you are donating and have no chance of winning
Shmuel
Thanks, but doesn’t Sheldon have support from the settlers who consider themselve to be better (religiously) than heretical left wing Jews as they think of them. I know Channel 10 wasn’t soley for them,
Richard,
Adelson may not be observant, but doesn’t the law then extend to those who benefit from it? You’d think the observant would then refuse to watch or have anything to do with his channel 10. Also, another reason I asked was because Adelson funds the settlements, which again are suppposed to be religous or they claim. Yet they have no qualms about taking funding from sources like this.
I guess it shouldn’t surprise, because they also take funding from missionising Christians, whose goal is to convert.
I believe there are special programs for Orthodox & Haredi Jews on TV. But I doubt Channel 10 broadcasts them & doubt Haredi Jews watch Channel 10 though I could be wrong.
RE: “First, Radio All for Peace is silenced and soon Channel 10. You can chalk this up as another victory of onrushing Israeli authoritarian rule…” ~ R.S.
MY COMMENT: The Lord(s) work(s) in mysterious ways!
SEE: A new Israel in the making ~ By Gideon Levy, Haaretz, 11/13/11
The future is now. The revolution is in progress; just wait for what’s to come.
ENTIRE COMMENTARY – http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/a-new-israel-in-the-making-1.395241
You do know i hope that channel 10 owes the State of Israel 60 million NIS.
and was asking from the government to delay the loan payment again. for the 3rd or 4th time if i am not mistaken.
with all the respect to channel 10, why should the government use citizens funds to support a privately held media outlet ?
Channel 10 should find those who are willing to support it’s agenda and fund it. No different that what sheldon adelson is doing with Israel Hayom. This is the true meaning of freedom of speech.
Free speech doesn’t mean needing to find a billionaire to fund you. That’s bought and paid for, not free.
Virtually every Israeli TV station owes the govt money yet Channel 10 is the only one closed.
If a center left govt closed Arutz Sheva or makor Rishon you’d scream bloody murder. When the station’s contents gore yr ox then you’re pleased to kill goring ox. But not the other way round. That’s called hypocrisy.
Arutz 7 was shot down by the previous government, and i would be more then happy to see that you wrote something about it (considering you are for free speech and all). Musi Raz the CEO of voice of peace who was closed last week congratulated the government for doing so. Arutz 7 broadcasts via the internet these days and i am sure VOP will do the same.
Arutz 2 which is the only other private network in Israel, owes the government 23 million NIS (reshet) and 9 million NIS (keshet). the government can decide if it wants to that there is no chance channel 10 would be able to pay it’s debt and cut its looses.
Since both are private companies, who pay outrageous pay to their talents (you should look what Lapid is getting and What Y. Aylon is getting) they should do so with their own money, not with mine.
This is not hypocrisy, this is basic economy principle. You don’t have money…You don’t operate a TV station.
That would of course leave only commercial TV & right wing fatcats like Adelson & Lauder broadcasting their right wing drivel, which would suit you. You are a hypocrite plain & simple. There are publicly funded TV & radio stations all over the world including Israel. There are assholes like you in every one of ’em saying they’d prefer their right wing tycoon think-alikes to run things & replace the public media outlets.
Why do you resort to name calling ?
Channel 10 is not a public media outlet, channel 10 is owned by private people; Yossi Miman 51%, Ron Lauder25% and Arnon Milchen 24%.
The current balance owed to the government was carried forward from 2009. The debt is only getting bigger.
as a result of the Adelson affair Ron Lauder decided he’s not investing any more of his money, and that’s what causing the current state of emergency. It has absolutely nothing to do with the decision of the state of Israel regarding the balance owed.
This is a privately held company, it’s up to the owners to decide if they want to invest more money. The government does sponsors many media outlets: Channel 1, Galatz (via Ministry of defense) Reshet B’ and others.
You are trying to paint this as part of a campaign to silence the Israeli left. And this is not the case at all. This is a business dispute.
You were trying to do the same regarding the closing of VOP, the closing of Arutz 7 in 2003 (by Sharon’s government, imagine that) for the same reasons (operating without a license) show’s that you are wrong in your campaign.
You’re either a fool or a liar or both. Channel 10 owes tens of millions of shekels to the State. The State can therefore close the station, which is what Bibi has already decided to do. Lauder is a creature of Bibi or vice versa. If Bibi tells him he’s going to close the station of course Lauder isn’t going to sink any more money into it. Not to mention that Lauder is a political acolyte of Bibi & would do anything Bibi told him to (& vice versa). So the idea that the station is going to close for financial reasons is preposterous & really an insult to anyone’s intelligence.
The owners of other stations which owe similar amounts aren’t being called upon to pay up or face closure of their stations. It’s selective prosecution, politically motivated, & a gross violation of freedom of the press. You’re happy about it though because it’s the “left wing” press that’s being destroyed. You’d be much happier with an Israeli press represented by Yisrael HaYom, Arutz Sheva and Debka.
YOu’re starting to repeat yrself & I hate repetition. So move on from this subject to something else.