Monday 21 September 2009

Website Review - http://www.palestinefacts.org/ - Propaganda Alert

http://www.palestinefacts.org/

The website displayed above is a farce. It's a thinly disguised attempt to colour the Arab-Israeli conflict in the blue colours of Zionism and making it appear like this is the truth, at least from a Palestinian standpoint. The target audience for this website is people who are not very knowledgeable about the conflict and who don't know who to ask for information. However, even with zero facts, you will quickly discover the bias, as I will demonstrate below:

1-It's Anonymous

No one seems to want to claim responsibility for this website, as this paragraph quoted from the FAQ section demonstrates:

"There is no one individual editor. The site has been prepared by a team of writers and editors who are knowledgable of the history, politics, economics and military situation in the Middle East, based on information compiled from the best available sources. They have developed Palestine Facts to provide much-needed factual information to everyone who may be interested in the current situation in Israel, how it evolved to today's status, and what might be reasonable policies for the future."


I wonder how many of those "team of writers" are Zionist? or Arab?
Would you trust the opinion of someone without a name?

2- The nomenclature used is exclusively zionist:

For example, the Occupied West Bank is called Judea and Samaria which is a biblical name fanatic Zionists like to call Arab land that they believe belongs to them. No one (even the UN) uses such names except Israel. This is the same area where some Israeli soldiers refuse to serve on ethical grounds. The UN has issued numerous resolutions deeming Israeli settlements in that area illegal, and yet Israel continues to build on land that is not theirs.

3- Biased Maps:

"Invalid Palestinian Arab Maps.Anti-Israel forces have made an industry out of producing invalid maps that either deny the existence of Israel altogether or distort the history and modern situation."


Basically according to this "unbiased" website, any map that is pro-Palestinian is automatically anti-Israeli. What biased logic. The aim of this website is to delete Palestine from the world vocabulary. Interestingly, they do not mention anything about the Israeli Apartheid Wall which was unilaterally drawn by the Israelis and which clearly illegally annexes Arab land that does not belong to Israel.

Even Wikipedia acknowledges that: "Parts of the barrier are built on land seized from Palestinians", although their maps show a clear bias against the Palestinians by naming Arab land with Jewish names. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_West_Bank_barrier

Unbiased websites such as this: http://www.stopthewall.org/maps/150.shtml show the land grab graphically on accurate maps.

4- Biased Sources:

Any academic knows that the quality of your thesis is underpinned by the quality of your sources. This website uses exclusively Israeli sources to describe their supposed Palestinian viewpoint. It's like asking the KKK to abolish slavery. Their map references include:

The Department for Jewish Zionist Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel
State of Israel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Maps of Israeli Interests in Judea and Samaria, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies
etc..


5- Denial of any Palestinian history or rights:

The site blatantly tries to argue everything for Israel's benifit, it even claims that the Occupied Territories are not such but they are "occupied territories" very much in the same way that Arabs try to deny Israel's existence by calling it "Israel".

There is a section called Arabian Fables that is as logical as a drunken alcoholic abusive rapist. For example:

"The "Palestinians". That is the fundamental myth.


Again, the use of the quotations to indicate that the Palestinians don't exist. Weird, because the word Palestine has been there since even before the Arabs came to Palestine, and is a Greek name in fact, more than 2000 years old. Another gaping hole in their logic especially since their website's name is Palestine Facts!

What about this:

"Josef Goebbels, the infamous propaganda minister of the Nazis, had it right. Just tell people big lies often enough and they will believe them."


Let's get it clear. This is a website full of anti-Palestinian propaganda. What is very ironic is that they use Nazi propaganda to claim that their propaganda is correct. Well two wrongs never made a right.

Let's never forget that it's Nazi Germany that killed the Jews and not Arab Palestinians. The holocaust is not an Arab problem but the Arabs have had to pay for it. Wouldn't it be fairer if we founded Israel inside Germany?



Here is an example of the daily realities in the Occupied Territories controlled by Israel. This young Jewish extremist man is shown throwing wine at a Palestinian Muslim woman in Hebron. This is wrong because:

1- Alcohol is considered un-Islamic, and thus it is rude to do this to a Muslim.
2- The woman has clearly done nothing to provoke the man, would he accept this to be done to his mother?
3- Since Hebron is a city with an Arab majority (166,000 Arabs, and 500 Jews), isn't it rude for visitors to behave in such a manner?
4- This kind of behaviour would be treated as antisocial racist behaviour in any civilised country, and yet in Israel it's considered normal for Jews. Palestinians don't really have a say even though they completely outnumber the Jew, who of course are heavily armed, and protected by the Middle East's only nuclear power. Obviously the western media doesn't report these things either. (Imagine source: Palestine Think Tank).

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.who.is/whois/palestinefacts.org/

Yeah, never trust a site that is anonymous yet claims to be factual.

Dubai Jazz said...

Thorough and comprehensive review, Bu Jassem. Good effort and well-done.

However, it seems to me that they intended the quote from the Nazi minister in a different context -- kind of to-your-face, blatant irony: what they actually meant is that if THEY "tell people big lies often enough" through their propaganda, they will eventually start to believe it.

And I must say that their propaganda often works, this is why the majority of Americans still supports Israel.

BuJ said...

Thanks ABIT.. never thought of doing a whois on this!
Well, it's not surprising eh, they pry on the innocents and the unweary and give them doctored "facts"

DJ and myself been trying to "talk" to a bunch of zionists (whom I'm sure will find this post quickly) about the issue of Palestine and they are saying that the word Palestine only existed after 1964! And that all land in modern "Israel" was bought from Arabs or Turks,, yeah right. They are very inconsistent unfortunately. Smart, but inconsistent.

DJ, thanks for your comments :)

I am monitoring the sitemeter for this post, and I am already getting a few hits mainly from the EU and USA googling (or binging) "palestine and israel facts". So I guess the post is doing its job. Perhaps even the original owners of that site will sue me because my information is pro-palestinian or at least factual!

I won't allow Zionists to use Nazis against us except if they dismantle Israel in Palestine and establish it in Germany.

Anonymous said...

Like I said, a site with your opinions, fine, be anon. its your right.

But when you are calling it a FACTS site, you need to prove who you are and what authority you have.

7asal khair. I hope your review is read by many, especially visitors of that site.

BuJ said...

I think I agree with ABIT!! wow, a world first :)
btw, maybe i should ask them to post my blog article on their website to give ppl a bit more facts :P

i doubt they will agree though...

Em said...

...5) Isn't alcohol considered non-kosher for Jews too?

Any site that clearly has a bias can't be a 'factual' site.

BuJ said...

hello Media Junkie and welcome! great to read you here.

I wasn't aware of the non-kosherness of wine.. i believe kosher laws interfere with mixing certain foods like milk products and meat or something. but wine in general is ok for jews. i might be wrong, this is what i know.

i never liked bias, and i always try to be fair when dealing with anything.. ok i'm pro-palestinian, and pro-emarati, pro-islamic etc but i am also quite comfortable to admit that sometimes the palestinians got it wrong (e.g. suicide bombings), sometimes the emaratis got it wrong (e.g. driving skills, racism), and muslims too.. we're not perfect.. but we have a responsibility to be fair towards ourselves and those we disagree with.

The Contentious Centrist said...

"Isn't alcohol considered non-kosher for Jews too?"

No. Jews drink wine and alcohol. In fact, the blessing on holidays and Shabbat are done over wine:

"Blessed art thou, Lord our God, king of the universe, creator of the fruit of the wine."

In the absence of wine, then simple grape juice will do.

Moji said...

Thank you for the good job. I was reading on internet about the subject when I com across this site after reading some articles I got suspicious about their "unbiased" behavior. In fact I found your web site after a search I did on "palestinefacts.org". Unfortunately internet provides opportunity for dishonest behavior as the mentioned site. It is important to expose such immoral attempts.

xfermb said...

Dear Arab gentlemen,

It seams you are wrong, I recon that site is pro-Arab. It is cunningly presented as neutral, but refuses to publish my comment I tried to post. Never mine, I would like to take this opportunity and eventually have your comment on my comment. It could be also educational for me if I am wrong in my observations. Generally I am not Arab hater neither lover, but definitely not supporter.

My comment:

As non-religious European, I have no personal experience with Jews or Arabs. Despite of remote position I think there are enough sources available for a broader impartial picture.

Everywhere we have good and bad individuals within communities or nations, hence, which are better, is no issue at all. Conflict between Israel, Palestinian Arabs and the rest of Arab world has all elements of collective insanity triggered by malignant and orchestrated religious fanaticism, prevailing to one side.

So defined side is incapable even to consider such possibility and remains convinced in their righteous cause, no matter what. Worldwide-polarized opinion only maintains such attitude, not to forget partial and other handy political and business interests.

In spite of deep religious orientation, troubled sometimes with own orthodox fanatics, Israel remain modern, constitutional, secular technological society and typical representative of developed democracies. Arab world is pure contrast, with Palestinian Arab entity even worse. Incompatible as water and oil both has to dwell in one big vessel with same rights for existence.

Religious fanaticism and obsolete tribal primitivism are primaries of Arab world. Explicitly opportunistic Palestinians irrationally maintain hatred to Israelis, at same time hastily ready to use benefits of more advanced civilization. Netanyahu could not express better, “if the Arabs lay down their arms there will be no more war, but if Israel lays down its weapons there would be no more Israel”. I believe even opponents of Israel are aware of this fact.

Arabs have many countries with vast territories; Israel is one on very limited space. Israeli existence as Jewish state is in serious jeopardy by Arab extreme demographic expansion and paradoxical influx of other Arabs and black Africa opportunistic immigration waves.

I am terrified from this same massive immigration purring in Europe almost freely, thanks to incredible ignorance off local governments and shortsighted EU policy in general. Europe is huge in comparison to Israel and I can only imagine how Israelis feel about common problem. It is common, as demographically expansive Islam is evidently hostile to white Christian civilization and that is almost undisputable.

Naturally, my sympathies stick to Israel. Arabs and Islamic world have other values, much more worth of their attention, instead of sticking to religious fanaticism and archaic tribal retardedness.

Disregarding all above, I am convinced that all mighty Mother Nature, as response to our global demographic imbalance, triggers most of our animosities, on deeper subconscious level. If there would be few of us on Earth, we would be very happy seeing each other, under any circumstances. It seams as Nature is signaling, kill yourself hastily, as I will reduce you my way, or stick your heads together and find way to balance your numbers and behavior.

BuJ said...

Dear Xfermb,

Thanks for your comment.

With regards to you thinking www.palestinefacts.org is actually pro-Arab, I implore you to read just a little bit about the history of the middle eastern conflict then decide for yourself.

You mention that you have no personal experience with either Jew or Arab. I find that worrying since you are very opinionated on this matter. Does it mean that you have gather all this information from the media? Hence lies the problem.

It would be hard for a student to graduate if he has never had a personal experience with a teacher or fellow students.

As for your many other points, I will not go into much detail about them. However, I will simply ask you one thing. The lovely, and civilised Europeans have been systematically killing and evicting European Jews for centuries, with a gentle crescendo until the madman Hitler gassed most of them (Hitler was not Arab or Muslim if I recall correctly), this gave momentum to the Zionist project that has been around at least 70 years before the holocaust but without much results. Now the tumor that is Israel has been planted in the heart of the Arab and Muslim worlds. The question is: Is it our fault that Europe killed so many Jews and has Israel respected our rights?

It seems a single Jewish-only state is as rubbish as Saudi Arabia giving Saudi nationality to every single muslim that decides to come.

Thus Israel has no future in the long run, and only a single-state that caters for all religions on the historical land of Palestine can aim to achieve some sort of lasting peace.