Murdoch's Australian: What Lurks Within

Anthony Klan is a 'journalist' for Murdoch's Australian.

1) Here's the opening line of his recent "EXCLUSIVE," Federal cash 'went to Hamas' (28/11/16): 

"The Australian government has been one of the largest funders of the Hamas terror organisation in Gaza over the past seven years, Israeli authorities allege."

2) Now here's the explanatory footnote at the end of the article:

"The author travelled to Israel with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies as part of a journalists delegation from November 5-10. He stayed in Israel self-funded for two weeks, during which time he researched and produced this article."

3) The first and last columns of Klan's 6-column article enclose a commentary by the Australian's Paul Maley, (Why one man's arrest is such a big deal for our nation) on the arrest of Australian Islamic State groupie Neil Prakash.

Take-home question:

Having noted just these three features of Klan's piece, do we really need to read the thing?

The Latest Rambotic Drivel...

... from the latest bunch of Rambots to take the bait earlier this month and report back:

James Massola (Fairfax): "Peace... is an abstract notion, something that everyone would like. The talks that are underway at the moment are really lip service and are unlikely to go anywhere in the short-term... I did see that there are some green shoots, some causes for optimism there. The vast majority of Israelis do actually sit for peace and a two-state solution." (Journalists report back on their mission to Israel, jwire.com.au, 23/11/16)

That's right, James, they sit for peace and stand for occupation.

I assume that jwire is paraphrasing James here:

"Causes for such optimism include a community-based initiative called Roots which attempts to sort out grievances such as safety and community issues in the West Bank. The organisation aims to shift violence and disputes towards trust, empathy and mutual support between Palestinians and Israelis."

Grievances such as safety and community issues...

But not grievances like Israeli occupation boots on Palestinian necks?

Shift violence and disputes...

But not occupying Israeli troops and settlers out of the West Bank?

My God, if CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER Massola hasn't got what it takes to see this kind of window-dressing for what it is, why would you bother reading any of his reports in the Sydney Morning Herald?

Luke Malpass (Australian Financial Review): "Being on the ground and understanding the very human pressures that are faced was completely invaluable. And I look on the conflict and the achievement of the Jewish State of 70 years to build itself up out of the desert very differently."

*Sigh* Poor old Luke... still hooked on that hoary old 'making the desert bloom' line.

9 Rambots attended, but the only other names we get from jwire are these:

Andrew Clennell (Daily Telegraph)
Calliste Weitenberg (SBS)
Amelia Brace (Channel 7)
Anthony Klan (The Australian)
Vish Wishwanathan (The Indian Telegraph)

SO WHO ARE THE OTHER 2 NO-SHOWS? Just along for the ride? Just couldn't bring themselves to mouth the words? ('So sorry, Vic, I'm down with a bug.')

Political Donations: The View from Murdoch

The rag you'd least expect to focus on the subject of foreign policy donations, given its slavish devotion to, and promotion of, all things Israel, is Murdoch's Australian.

And yet yesterday's issue has devoted almost a (broadsheet) page-and-a-half to the matter!

Sam Dastyari, of course, gets special treatment, referred to as a 'Manchurian candidate', and there are dark warnings by the outgoing US ambassador John Berry about the influence of 'soft power' by non-democratic countries. (Sam mired by soft power's hard sell, Anthony Klan & Sarah Martin)

There's also a profile of The Mysterious Dr Fu Manchu Minshen Zhu, Dastyari's benefactor, and a report, Junkets searching for a cause, in which we have to wait until the final paragraph for a mention of trips by politicians to Israel.

The centrepiece of the Australian's coverage, however, is an alphabetical list of "House of Representatives MPs' sponsored travel. Top five most-visited countries," with ISRAEL, not China, in first place with 24 visits. (China comes in second with 20 visits.)

According to the list the following 22 politicians have been to Israel, some more than once: John Alexander (L/NP); Sharon Bird (ALP); Bronwyn Bishop (L/NP); Gai Brodtmann (ALP) (x2); Mal Brough (L/NP); Terri Butler (ALP); Jim Chalmers (ALP); Michael Danby (ALP); Peter Hendy (L/NP); Stephen Jones (ALP); Craig Kelly (L/NP); Andrew Leigh (ALP); Russell Matheson (L/NP); Rob Mitchell (ALP); Christopher Pyne (L/NP); Wyatt Roy (L/NP) (x2); Andrew Southcott (L/NP); Tim Watts (ALP) (x2); Ken Wyatt (L/NP).

The list, however, is far from complete. MPs Bruce Bilson, Nick Champion, David Feeney, Joel Fitzgibbon, Richard Marles, Kelly O'Dwyer, Tanya Plibersek, Bernie Ripoli, Bill Shorten, Luke Simpkins and Dan Tehan are listed as junketeers but no mention is made of their trips to Israel.

Add those 11 to the Australian's 22, and the total of MPs who have been to Israel rises to 35.

Curiously, the following 25 MPs who have also been to Israel since 2007 are missing from the list: Penny Wong, Josh Frydenberg, Amanda Rishworth, Belinda Neal, Stuart Robert, Alex Hawke, Mathias Cormann, Kevin Rudd, Kim Carr, Stephen Conroy, Anthony Byrne, Mike Kelly, Julie Bishop, Kevin Andrews, Steve Ciobo, Julia Gillard, Peter Costello, Mark Dreyfus, Tony Abbott, Jacinta Collins, Jason Clare, Peter Dutton, Michael Keenan, and Shayne Neuman. Add them in and our total is now 59. (Note that senators and state politicians have been omitted.)

That's 59 visits to Israel and a mere 20 to China! Israel wins, hands down.

(See my 30/3/09 post I've been to Israel too for a fuller, regularly updated, list of Israel junkets by Australian politicians, journalists and other useful fools.)