Now, the question is how long before the Israeli media will take up the challenge of reporting a story they should’ve been all over to begin with (except for Itamar Eichner at Yediot, who wrote the original story excluding the ambassador’s name and diplomatic post). The question is why they’re not doing so. After all, the story severely embarrasses Avigdor Lieberman, who personally chose as ambassador to a major European country, someone with no diplomatic or political experience. This should be a major domestic story.
I don’t believe there’s a gag order on reporting this. So what else can be holding them back? Perhaps this nudge will set them off.
This reminds me of the SodaStream-case: Israel appoints a diplomat from a minority group (only ?) for hasbara reasons and it comes back hitting their face. The article in the Norwegian paper Aftenbladet clearly states that the Israeli government may have appointed Araidi to improve Israel’s image in Norway. They also write that Araidi attended a litterature festival in Stavanger that was boycotted by some other writers because of his presence.
Aftenbladet post some severe hasbara though claiming that “the Druze are fully integrated in Israel and ‘have important roles’ in Israeli society”.
After the Bedouins, the Druze are the poorest group in Israel, and their villages are just as under-developped as any other Arab village.
By the way, I see that Naim Araidi is from Maghar, just as the Saad-family that I mentioned on the former thread. So we have the two extremes: a Druze who accepts to represent an extreme right-wing government abroad and a Druze family who identifies as Palestiniens, and whose eldest son went to prison for refusing to serve in the army.
You can put another notch in your gun, Richard.
@ Shoshana: Nonsense. I didn’t ask Araidi to expose himself. Are you implying that he shouldn’t be held accountable? That his deeds should remain secret? If so, to what purpose? To protect Israel’s reputation?
I don’t look at exposing someone’s misdeeds as “notches in a gun.” Nor am I a gunslinger.