Jew World Order

The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) recently presented the award-winning historian and journalist, Anne Applebaum, with a fellowship.  This prestigious accolade places her among the most honored figures in history for their outstanding contribution to literature.

But does Applebaum deserve to be a member of this pantheon?  

Applebaum has worked for major news outlets, is a Pulitzer prize winner, and is a past member of the editorial board of the Washington Post. However, in 2002 she wrote an article for Slate describing the “pathetic” military and administrative infrastructure of the Palestine Authority and the futility of Israel directing their attacks against it.  The most fundamental aspect of the conflict, she wrote, was the broadcasting from the PA’s media outlet, the Voice of Palestine which had to be eliminated.  

When the Voice of Palestine broadcasting center was eventually destroyed by the Israeli military, Applebaum wrote, “the official Palestinian media is the right place for Israel to focus its ire” and not their buildings, “I can’t quite see the point of destroying the building—the radio went off the air for a few hours but began broadcasting again from another set of studios.”  She is correct.  Bricks and mortar don’t write articles. 

Applebaum ended:

Establishing a credible media will be, for the Palestinians, part of what it takes to establish a credible state. Until then, the Voice of Palestine will remain what it has become: a combatant—and therefore a legitimate target—in a painful, never-ending, low-intensity war.

Her piece was maliciously entitled, “Kill the Messenger” and it called for an attack on people within her profession that she didn’t agree with. People who she said were a, “legitimate target.”

Oddly enough, violence against journalists is an issue that Applebaum is concerned with. Applebaum’s 2018 article in the Washington Post entitled, “This Is Why So Many Journalists Are At Risk Today” illustrated the global jeopardy media outlets face by democratic, authoritarian and autocratic regimes who secure their hold on power by criticizing, incarcerating and murdering journalists.  Not surprisingly, there was one country she didn’t mention in this opinion piece, brazenly contradictory to her earlier article and that was Israel. 

Today, such expressions have contributed to the plight of Palestinian journalists who are in serious peril.  The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that 18 journalists have been killed by Israel since 1992 including two Italians and the British journalist, James Miller.  An additional Palestinian journalist, Yousef Abu Hussein was killed when his home was targeted during the bombing of Gaza in May.  

During this assault, Israel bombed and destroyed two office buildings, al-Jawhara and al-Shorouk which housed 21 media outlets.

Israel’s undertakings in curtailing exposure of their actions against Palestinians extend to the jailing of journalists without charge or trial.  These administrative detentions now amount to 13 contravening international law in articles 66, 72 and 78 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which stipulate the right to a fair trial.  

One of those victims is Bushra Al-Taweel a 28-year-old female journalist specializing in human rights, was first arrested in 2011 and suffered, along with other members of her family, numerous detentions lasting for months.  Addameer, a prisoner and human rights support unit documented in June a total of 540 Palestinian administrative detainees.

During the protests against the threat of evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, many journalists covering the story were harassed and injured by the police leading to the arrest of 27 journalists including the Al Jazeera journalist, Givara Budeiri.  

Israel’s repressive behavior against members of the press is motivated by trying to prevent and censor the increasing coverage of their discriminatory policies and practices.  The less you know the less you can criticize.  But this is having the opposite effect. 

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have formally submitted a request to the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel’s systemic onslaught against Palestinian media personnel.  In Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index, Israel is ranked 86th out of 180 countries far worse than the liberal standard expected by most democratic countries.

Journalist organizations throughout the world including the NJ in Norway, the CWA in Canada, FENAJ in Brazil, the Federation of African Journalists and the MMEA in Australia joined the IFJ in supporting Palestinian journalists and writing to the UN Secretary General expressing their concern over Israel’s treatment of Palestinian journalists and the attack on Israeli journalists by Israeli settlers. 

In May this year, 51 British MPs signed an Early Day Motion deploring Israel’s attack on journalists in Gaza.

Applebaum has not included “Kill the Messenger” in the archive on her website.  There has been no public contrition for the article which reflects her narrative of belligerency over diplomacy on the Israel/Palestine issue.

So far, Applebaum dwells above the threat of ‘cancel culture’ but that threat is prevalent among those who are circumspect when criticizing Israel as the specter of being accused of antisemitism endangers their standing and exerts self-censorship.

When the RSL was asked to respond to Applebaum’s appointment they told me, “As a non-political organisation, the RSL does not endorse or denounce individual statements or publications by Fellows unless they draw the RSL specifically into their statements.”

It may well be a, “non-political” organization but this is not a “political” issue but a human rights one. The essence of being a Fellow of the RSL is based upon what you write and to have the temerity to advocate violence against innocent people who also write and struggle for their freedom is seemingly acceptable as long as you don’t mention the ‘RSL’.  Would the RSL react differently if such a derogatory narrative was written about some other ethnic group?

In the RSL’s terms and conditions, it states that members are, “Not to defame, disparage anybody or behave in a manner which is obscene, derogatory or offensive.”  Anne Applebaum, please take note.

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