An Israeli journalist, reporting for Channel 10, used fraud to enter Tunisia and file a story about the assassination of Mohammed al Zoari. Moav Vardi, using a German passport, traveled to Tunisia and, hiding his nationality, interviewed various neighbors of the victim and other Tunisians. When he did so, he replaced the Channel 10 Israeli logo on his microphone. When reporting alone, he used the company microphone and logo. In a shocking display of disrespect, he sought entrance to the family home just after the funeral and under these false pretences, but was denied access. Nevertheless, he used video footage presumably filmed without permission, which is in the courtyard of the home. Also, Vardi claims he entered the home without a camera, which is belied by the video footage of the courtyard which he filmed.
Apparently, the family has learned the lesson of Al Zoari himself, and wisely declined to permit an unknown journalist access. Imagine the pain the survivors would feel had he succeeded in his subterfuge and interviewed them, only to find themselves featured on Israeli TV. The TV of the state which murdered him? Apparently, no one at Channel 10 thought of that tiny bit of indelicacy–or cared.
Remember for a moment the killing of Hadar Goldin by Hamas militants during Operation Protective Edge. Imagine a Palestinian TV news reporter using a foreign passport to enter Israel and attempt to interview Goldin’s family about their son’s death. Imagine the reporter then left Israel and returned to Gaza or the West Bank and aired the segment in which he made pointed reference to the reasons Goldin was killed and the things he’d done to harm Palestinians. Imagine the outrage of all of Israel at such an disgusting breach of the suffering of an Israeli family who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Why did no knucklehead news producer think of it from that vantage point? Why? Because they don’t have to. They’re Israel, after all. No one second guesses Israel, except a few of us who haven’t drunk the Koolaid.
Though claiming in his TV news report that he traveled to al-Zoari’s home to learn who he was and why he was murdered, Vardi did nothing of the sort. He learned virtually nothing he didn’t know before he left Israel on his duplicitous mission. He only proved that just as the Mossad violates territorial sovereignty of virtually any state, friend or foe, in order to burnish its own fearsome image, Israeli journalists will do virtually the same. They will have the audacity to infiltrate (for that’s the term Israelis use to describe Nakba Palestinians who sought to return to Israel after 1948,as it’s the term used to describe African refugees or any “undesirable element” seeking access to Israel) an enemy state, just because they can. By committing such a fraud in an Arab country–one, by the way, which it’s illegal for Israeli citizens to visit–they make a mockery of the dignity and sovereignty of that state.
Nor did Vardi or Channel 10 consider the lives and safety of the Jews of Tunisia, who will now be considered by some Tunisians as accomplices or potential accomplices of Israeli killers. It is typical, in the Zionism practiced by Israel today, to consider Diaspora Jews either expendable or mere assets serving Israeli interests. The condescension inherent in such acts is typically cold and unfeeling.
What ruse did Vardi tell those he interviewed in Tunisia and al-Zoari’s family? Did he tell them he was filming for Israeli TV? Of course not. He deceived them in this as well. This is journalism based on a tissue of lies.
Today, there were demonstrations in Tunis against the murder of al-Zoari. The German ambassador was also summoned to explain how Vardi was permitted to use his German passport to gain entrance to Tunisia under false pretences.
The segment the TV reporter produced highlights the cultural condescension by using Arabic music as the exotic, mysterious soundtrack. It’s an unwritten code telling the Israeli viewer he or she is entering the strange, exotic world of the Arab: a place where bad things happen to bad people who deserve their fate.
Vardi makes one claim never before offered in any media report, apparently offered to him by Israeli intelligence sources: that al-Zoari was a key link between Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas in a major project to introduce armed drones into the Hamas arsenal. He offers no evidence to support this claim other than the fact that the engineer spent considerable time in both Syria, Lebanon and Gaza. If a U.S. journalist offered such flimsy evidence in a news report his editor, and certainly his readers would laugh him out of court–or a job.
There would, of course, be one way to end this charade and enable all Israelis to travel freely throughout the region. That would also relegate the Mossad’s murderous regime to the past: if Israel signed peace treaties with its enemies and settled the conflict between it and the Arab frontline states. No Israeli regime will do so because they prefer lording it over the enemies than coming to terms with them.
Vardi’s escapade duplicates one by former Israeli-Canadian “journalist” Lisa Goldman who thought it would be cute and cool to travel into the belly of the beast by visiting Lebanon and interviewing locals about their feelings about Israel. She did this also through duplicity since she used her Canadian passport to enter Lebanon, concealing her dual nationality and that she was reporting for an Israeli TV station (also Channel 10 in this case).
A Lebanese journalist told me afterwards that what she did was the height of cynicism and disrespect because fraternizing with Israeli journalists could physically endanger any Lebanese who did so. After all, the Mossad has assassinated numerous Hezbollah figures in Beirut. Why might not the group perceive anyone speaking to a purported Israeli journalist as a collaborator? What Goldman did wasn’t journalism. It was gimmickry for the sake of a story. It showed the ultimate disrespect for her sources.
Goldman later was a co-founder of 972 Magazine and contributor to Peter Beinart’s short-lived Open Zion, which was an attempt to offer a liberal Zionist perspective on the conflict in a progressive guise. After Daily Beast pulled the plug on it, Goldman found her way to another Beinart-affiliated project: the New America. They collaborated there on Israel-Palestine projects. Now, she plies her wares on the media-talking heads circuit as a person wise in the ways of the conflict. She’s yet another example of the liberal Zionist narrative monopolizing media discourse and deluding viewers and readers into believing they’re hearing something fresh or progressive, when it’s nothing of the sort.
H/t to reader Deir Yassin for pointing me to this story.
Thanks for highlighting this aspect of the al-Zouari affaire, Richard. Just one minor correction:
“The German ambassador was also summoned to explain how Vardi was permitted to use his German passport to gain entrance to Tunisia under false pretences.”
From what I understood and remember (I’ve read so many articles on the case these last days, and they often are contradictory), the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rather wants to know if this German passport is real, stolen or a forgery (remember the passports used in the al-Mabhouh killing). After all, If Moav Vardi is a German citizen with a valid German passport, Germany has no responsability.
Concerning Israeli journalists traveling on their original passport, it reminds me of a case: Roee Ruthenberg wrote an article on 972mag just before the Tunisian elections (shortly after the Revolution), that he was covering for an American media, I commented and asked him (as a joke) to put a vote in the ballot for Moncef Marzouki (professor of medecin, founder of a Human Rights organization, years in exile in Paris, who later became the first elected president of Tunisia), Roee answered that he was going to have an interview with Marzouki the following day.
I didn’t think about that at the time, but later on, I started wondering, the Tunisians clearly didn’t know he was a dual American-Israeli citizen (which would have been easy to google), and he could in fact have been a Mossad agent, I’m NOT saying he was, just that he got an interview with the president to be without being correctly checked.
Richard, please make correction to your statement that Tunisisa is forbidden for visit of israeli citizen: it’s not.
@ nikkor: While it may be legal for Israelis to visit Tunisia, in effect, that country severely limits the number of Israelis who may visit due to domestic political pressure by Islamist parties which oppose normalization.
And this: in November 2015, the Popular Front, a coalition of left-winged parties (the leader is from the Workers’ Party), based on socialism and secularism, introduced a bill criminalizing normalization with Israel: http://www.businessnews.com.tn/le-front-populaire-depose-un-projet-de-loi-criminalisant-la-normalisation-avec-israel,520,60204,3
How Hezbollah duped Israel using an Italian journalist.
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.734861
‘Cynicism’? ‘Fraud’?’Disrespect’?
Barbarian back on the track with a new pen-name, as usual trying to lead the attention elsewhere. There’s absolutely no comparison between what Moav Vardi did, and this story you’re trying to sell. Furthermore, Haaretz is trying to portrait al-Mayadeen as Hizbullah-affiliated, which is BS, maybe they’re mixing it up with al-Manar ….
@ Neil: Ah, so a documentary film producer who’s deceived by the individual financing his project that it’s meant for broadcast on the BBC, when it ends up airing on a Lebanese station is the same as the Channel 10 news producer and reporter who deliberately intend to deceive the Tunisians who are sources for the report into believing he’s preparing a report for a foreign broadcaster (but certainly NOT Israel)–is the same as this case? In what universe is it the same?
Fact check: It’s not illegal for Israelis to visit Tunisia – they just need to get a visa. Germans however, do not need a visa and so if you are a dual citizen visiting Tunisia, it makes sense, and it’s perfectly legal, to use the passport of least resistance. That’s not at all fraudulent. Furthermore, since Vardi was born in Israel, that fact would be noted quite prominently under “place of birth” in his German passport. In any case, many Israelis visit Tunisia every year – particularly those of Tunisian heritage – who go on pilgrimages to visit graves – and it’s perfectly fine. This isn’t a commentary on Vardi’s other activities.
“Furthermore, since Vardi was born in Israel, that fact would be noted quite prominently under “place of birth” in his German passport.”
That only applies if the German passport isn’t a fake.
Is there any indication that the passport was fake? I don’t know any journalists who have the resources to obtain a fake passport – EU passports contain biometric chips and holographic elements. Even the much maligned Lisa Goldstein travelled to Lebanon on her own real Canadian passport.
There are plenty of reasons why EU countries should fast end accepting dual citizenship and people having several different countries passports. And the reasons for that is not only the terrorism or journalism. For example where and what is the core loyalty of a person who has the citizenship of Israel, Ukraine, Russia and Hungary? The Interpol’s most wanted list is a interesting example where this multi-citizenship leads. On the most wanted list are 144 persons. If we limit the persons search by adding to the nationality field Israel we get 79 persons. The astonishing result is that 55 percent of the Interpol’s most wanted have Israeli nationality, are not Israeli Arabs and only one of those 79 are searched by Israeli police.
According to Tunisian media, quoting some official authority, the German Ambassador was summoned to a meeting on Monday night at the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it seems they think there might be more to the case. And I read that this is not the first time Moav Vardi went to an Arab country, he apparently has travelled to Iraq too (I haven’t verified this information but various Tunsian commenters claim so, some also claim he pretended to work for an Arab media).
Anyway, all foreign journalists need a permit to film in Tunisia, and there’s clearly fraud or deceit involved, trying to pass himself of as a German writer.
You claim Vardi is born in Israel (I have no idea), so his place of birth would be ‘Israel’ in his German passport. Lisa Goldman is born in Canada, so we’re not at all dealing with the same situation, are we ?
@ Pea: It is in practice very difficult for Israeli Jews to visit Tunisia. But that’s mainly because of Tunisian issues, rather than Israeli ones.
@ Richard
” (…..) domestic political pressure by Islamist parties which oppose normalization.”
No, in fact An-Nahdha, the (moderate) Islamist party is not opposed to normalization with Israel. Rachid Ghannouchi the historical leader went to Washington, had long talks with AIPAC and WINEP, went to Davos, and is actually against the criminalization of normalization with Israel.
In fact, during the elaboration of the new Tunisian Constitution, left-wing parties, individual politicians and Human Rights organizations wanted to incoporate criminalization of normalization with Israel in Article 27, but it didn’t pass into the final Constitution.
Also a member of the Wafa Movement (secular, left-leaning), Azad Badi, has been trying to pass a law criminalizing normalization, and again the support is much more on the Left (and the radical Left which is organized in the Popular Front).
In French, an article on the Islamist Part and the normalization with Israel:
http://www.tunisienumerique.com/tunisie-normalisation-avec-lentite-sioniste-entre-la-criminalisation-et-la-banalisation/155394
@ Deir Yassin: my apologies for assuming opposition to normalization would come from Islamists, rather than the left. My mistake.
@ Richard
Tunisia is a special ‘case’ in the Arab world, the Islamist Party an-Nahdha is very ‘moderate’ and Rachid Ghannouchi has said in various interviews that his model of society are the Scandinavian countries. And unlike Egypt, there is no other Islamist Party (Salafist or other) in the Parliament.
And still, Tunisia has the highest % of its population (if my memory is correct) among ISIS fighters, not to forget the Nice attacker and the Berlin attacker (though they seem both to have been radicalized in Europe, I still am not convinced that the NIce attacker wasn’t a psychiatric case though)
Thanks for that interesting post , you just claim that :
” It is typical, in the Zionism practiced by Israel today, to consider Diaspora Jews either expendable or mere assets serving Israeli interests. The condescension inherent in such acts is typically cold and unfeeling.”
With all due respect , even if it is correct , you describe so , the downside of that insight , not the upside of it :
For , All those jews in the diaspora , gain a ” spare state ” , always backing them whatsoever while in distress . In other parts of the world , refugees , don’t have such privilege . If they are hunted , persecuted or become victims of armed conflict , they become doomed . Yet :
The Israeli government , shall do , typically , whatever it takes to bring them ” back home ” and here :
Well , they are granted ( automatically , prescribed by law ) full citizenship , and even financial benefits . One may simply recall, the French Jews after the terrorist attacks there recently (Charlie Hebdo) or: ” Moshe operation ” where many jews, ethiopians, were brought from there in very complicated operation.
Thanks
@ El Rom: First of all, READ THE COMMENT RULES before your first comment to learn why your first comment was moderated. Second, READ THE COMMENT RULES to learn that you should not duplicate a comment by posting it twice. Third, READ THE COMMMENT RULES. And what do you think Four is going to be???
Diaspora Jews don’t want “a spare state.” One state is quite enough for us, thank you very much. Not to mention when that “spare state” actually endangers them by its harsh, hasty & bloodthirsty policies against some adherents of the second largest religion in the world. Israel “always backs” Diaspora Jews? Hardly. Israel doesn’t give a fig for them except as fodder to fill the ranks of the army with new recruits and, if wealthy, to offer new capital to fuel the economic engine.
While that may be true, in most other parts of the world where countries generate refugees, those nations’ actions don’t make life even more dangerous for those refugees by creating strife & hate far outside their borders.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Many refugees succeed in finding safe haven in northern Europe including Germany. And until 1924, the U.S. was the lamp beside the golden door welcoming such refugees by the tens of millions.
No, bud. Israel isn’t “home.” Especially not when you kill your own Palestinian citizens and those of many other frontline Arab states. Not “home” at all.
Not quite. Unless they are a gay couple, LGBT, a woman down on her luck (like Julie Pearson), Ethiopian, Black Hebrew, etc. Then you’re not granted full citizenship, certainly not immediately. Sometimes not at all.
French emigration has receded back to its former level after two years of reaction to several terror attacks. Attacks committed by Islamist terrorists who incorrectly viewed French Jews as extensions of Israel & Zionism. That’s what your “gifts” bestow on us here in the Diaspora.
Richard ,
Thanks for your reply and specifications , and :
First , it seems that my comment ( first one ) has been swallowed , and not at all put to moderation . For , no notice has been presented that : suspended until moderated and approved . It had disappeared simply . Now , how can one know so , whether it is a technical issue , or , moderation ??
Second , I haven’t duplicated any comment . For , the second one , wasn’t identical ( completely identical ) but , at the head of it , I have added a notice , concerning apparent technical issue as seemed to me .
Finally , you have understood it seems ( hardly ) that , jews in Diaspora , benefit much more from the Israeli state , as a spare one , and not vice versa . How many jews reside in Diaspora ?? around six million ?? OK , how many of them are ” Mossad active agents ” ?? Well, let’s exaggerate and claim that: 300 hundreds!! So , do the math !! even if those ” agents ” are unwittingly so , yet : most of jews , are very happy to be backed by the Israeli state . excellent reservoir by all means , surly for rainy days .
When you feel in distress , and the Israeli state , welcomes you , you would rather think of your own survival , not : the one of Palestinians . So it is , definitely so , for every reasonable person , feeling threatened and distressed , that this is , second home , no more , no less than that . Actually , that is how jews typically , feel all over the world .
I don’t know , where from , you have extracted that idea that there is any discrimination in granting full citizenship for jews in Israel . Read the law ( of return , see link ) you would realize , that :
Every jew , holds that right !! unless , I quote the law , here :
” unless the Minister of Immigration is satisfied that the applicant —
is engaged in an activity directed against the Jewish people; or
is likely to endanger public health or the security of the State.”
End of quotation :
For the rest , latter …..
See link to the law of returned :
http://www.jewishagency.org/first-steps/program/5131
Thanks
@ El Rom: Your comment was moderated and is now approved and appears in the comment thread. Please don’t assume you know or understand how my comment system works or what has happened to your comment. My comment rules explain clearly how first comments are handled & yours was handled precisely in the same way as all first comments. I hate having to explain these matters as I’ve had to do it with scores of others before you. If you don’t see or can’t find your comment, that’s your problem. It’s there, clearly visible.
You did try to publish this comment twice. I know this because I had to delete the duplicate comment. You clearly don’t understand what you yourself are doing. Possibly you are not technically proficient in these matters. But you have to do a better job of following the rules. Read them carefully and follow them.
I am a Diaspora Jew. You are not. I do not benefit from having Israel as a “spare state.” If you asked most Diaspora Jews this question most would say they support Israel’s existence. But needing it as a refuge for themselves? No. Most would say, thanks but no thanks. I have one state. I don’t personally need another.
I am not in distress nor are the vast majority of Diaspora Jews. THe number of such Jews who make aliyah is quite small as an overall percentage of Jews who live in Diaspora. So your claims are essentially without foundation. They’re based on outdated classical Zionist thinking. Welcome to the 21st century from the late 19th where you’ve been living!
I am a reasonable person. I am not threatened or distressed. Nor are the vast majority of Diaspora Jews. Game over. You lose.
Nope. Not by a long shot.
Stop reading the official text of laws and start reading your own media. All the examples of rejection of citizenship I cited are from Haaretz & other media sources. The law is interpreted by the Interior Ministry, which is run by ultra Orthodox Jews who implement it as they see fit & through the lens of their own theocratic views. Citizenship is not granted equitably according to the formal text of the law.
You are done in this thread. Do not comment here further. You may comment if you wish in other threads.
[comment deleted: do not post comments about technical matters related to moderation or comment editing on my part]