AFOPA MEDIA REPORT, 1 AUG 2017

Selections from Australian newspapers.

Unending conflict wipes future away for Israelis, Palestinians, Sydney Morning Herald, 01-AUG-2017

The Israeli town of Beit She'an wastes no time on frills, fuss or flair. Beit She'an is situated below sea level, roughly halfway between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee, where the Jezreel and Jordan Valleys meet. ...

Bob Carr says former colleague Mark Dreyfus tried to silence him over Israel settlements, Sydney Morning Herald, 31-JUL-2017

Former foreign minister Bob Carr has accused his erstwhile cabinet colleague Mark Dreyfus of an extraordinary attempt to "silence" him over his criticism of Israeli settlements on the West Bank. Mr Carr says early in the 2016 federal election campaign, Mr Dreyfus, a former attorney-general and member for the Victorian seat of Isaacs, along with the member for Melbourne Ports, Michael Danby, sought a meeting with wealthy businessman Huang Xiangmo. ...

Mark Dreyfus lashes out at Bob Carr over Israel, The Australian, 31-JUL-2017

Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has lashed out Bob Carr and other supporters of a motion for Labor to immediately recognise Palestine, saying foreign policy is set federally. The former foreign minister has said a motion which passed a NSW Labor conference would mean the state supports no conditions to the recognition of Palestine. Others have said that the further inclusion of moderating paragraph means the motion did not go as far as previously thought. ...

ALP calling time on Michael Danby as election threat looms, The Australian, 31-JUL-2017

ALP stalwart Michael Danby is facing pressure to bow out of contention for the federal seat of Melbourne Ports next election, ending a near-20-year stranglehold. The veteran MP and ardent Israel supporter is the subject of an internal push at state and federal levels not to recontest the marginal seat, which has a large Jewish community, as the Liberals and the Greens sharpen
their view on a fierce three-way contest. ...

Objectivity doesn’t come easy when reporting on Israel, John Lyons, The Australian Business Review, 31-JUL-2017

Leading international journalists have talked about the extraordinary pressures they face when reporting from Israel. The former New York Times bureau chief in Jerusalem Jodi Rudoren has admitted to “defensive writing” after several “Twitter campaigns” against her. Rudoren says this was “to protect myself and keep me focused on the essence of what I’m trying to do instead of these distractions but you could totally get out of hand with this”. She says there is not a healthy debate in the US about Israel because of the power of pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC. The interviews are contained in Balcony Over Jerusalem, in which journalists tell how they come under attack from pro-Israel groups if they report what they see in Israel and the West Bank. ...

'The worst it's been': children continue to swim as raw sewage floods Gaza beach, The Guardian, 31-JUL-2017

For most of the 2 million people in this overcrowded strip of land – largely cut off from the outside world – the beach and sea are the only affordable form of recreation. The only option now is to swim and even fish in filthy water...

Pro-Israel advocates in Australia targeted three journalists, new book claims, The Guardian, 29-JUL-2017

Pro-Israel advocacy groups in Australia targeted the Middle East correspondent of the Australian newspaper and two ABC reporters, a new book claims. John Lyons says he was subjected to consistent pressure from the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) while based in Jerusalem for the Australian for six years, as were the ABC’s Sophie McNeill and the veteran ABC correspondent Peter Cave. ...