21 thoughts on “Israeli Journalist Engages in Fraud to Get al-Zoari ‘Scoop’ – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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  1. 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.

  2. Richard, please make correction to your statement that Tunisisa is forbidden for visit of israeli citizen: it’s not.

    1. @ 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.

    1. 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 ….

    2. @ 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?

  3. 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.

    1. “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.

    2. 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.

      1. 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.

      2. 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 ?

  4. @ 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

      1. @ 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)

  5. 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

    1. @ 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???

      All those jews in the diaspora , gain a ” spare state ” always backing them…

      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.

      In other parts of the world , refugees , don’t have such privilege

      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.

      If they are hunted , persecuted or become victims of armed conflict , they become doomed .

      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.

      The Israeli government , shall do , typically , whatever it takes to bring them ” back home

      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.

      Well , they are granted ( automatically , prescribed by law ) full citizenship

      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.

      1. 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

        1. @ 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.

          jews in Diaspora , benefit much more from the Israeli state , as a spare one

          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.

          When you feel in distress

          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!

          it is , definitely so , for every reasonable person , feeling threatened and distressed

          I am a reasonable person. I am not threatened or distressed. Nor are the vast majority of Diaspora Jews. Game over. You lose.

          Actually , that is how jews typically , feel all over the world .

          Nope. Not by a long shot.

          I don’t know , where from , you have extracted that idea that there is any discrimination in granting full citizenship for jews in Israel

          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.

      2. [comment deleted: do not post comments about technical matters related to moderation or comment editing on my part]

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