Public relations mogul Ronn D. Torossian is a friend of nearly everyone who’s anyone in Washington; in this thorough article, Politico calls him ‘perhaps the most prominent practitioner of a brass-knuckled form of public relations.’ While Torossian is in PR by trade, Israel is his first love: many of his clients and acquaintances are serious players in the ascendency of Israel.
Columbia University law professor Katherine Franke, and executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights Vincent Warren, say they were questioned by Israeli security at Ben Gurion Airport, detained 14 hours, and accused of lying before being flown back to New York Monday.
FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Media) reports that mainstream news reports are getting it wrong on Israel/Palestine. Sources that are otherwise accurate and reliable – WaPo, CNN, NYT, and AP – continue their routine of mis- and under-reporting Israel’s violence while exaggerating Palestinian misconduct.
The Israel lobby is one of the most powerful and pervasive special interest groups in the U.S. It consists of a multitude of institutions and individuals that work to influence Congress, the president, academia, the media, religious institutions, and American public opinion on behalf of Israel. View the list…
Billionaire Sheldon Adelson is a major donor to political candidates in the U.S. Would-be presidents curry his favor in the hope of receiving the millions of dollars he contributes to campaigns. As a result, he is highly influential in their policies regarding Israel. The Adelsons spent over $80 million on Republicans in 2016 and over $100 million in 2012 on Republican candidates and causes – the biggest donors in the presidential race.
Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, seeks worldwide support for maintaining the status quo in Jerusalem, where settler groups are vandalizing church property and covertly buying up land in the Old City; Jerusalem’s city council wants $200 million in back taxes from churches; land may be expropriated. Phone Congress!
Yousef Kronz was well within Israel’s designated “safe zone” in Gaza, wearing a Press vest, when he was shot in both legs. A young man who ran to help him was shot in the leg as well. Then Israel refused Yousef passage to the West Bank for treatment that would have saved at least one of his legs.
Investigative journalist Gareth Porter dispels myths about Iran’s alleged nuclear program: Israel has been crying wolf about Iran & nukes since the 1980s (including likely forging documents), while the IAEA has been declaring Tehran’s compliance; the Ayatollah has maintained that WMDs are “unIslamic,” and Iran hasn’t used any (even against Iraq’s WMDs); Iran needs ballistic missiles as a deterrent since it has no air force; and it has never threatened aggression toward Israel.
Netanyahu’s show Monday disregarded the IDF’s statement that the Iran deal will keep nukes out of Iran for 10+ yrs. It also lacked proof. But it gave Trump (& Bibi’s own drooping voter base) memorable images and catch-phrases. The info he presented with such urgency is old & familiar to anyone who has read IAEA reports.
Why is Netanyahu in a panic about Iran’s potential to develop a weapons program? – it’s old news, and all evidence points to Iran’s compliance. But a war would distract the world from Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians as they peacefully demonstrate.