Hiding behind patriotism

Daniel Dor, The Suppression of Guilt, Pluto Press, 2005:

"...The common denominator [of the Israeli media], the foundational basis, lies in the portrayal of Israel - its government, its military, its people - as an agent without intentions, an innocent society that has been pushed into the operation, just as it was pushed into the entire Intifada, by the sheer force of Palestinian violence, with no agenda of its own except self-defence."

Dor's work paints a generally compliant Israeli media more than willing to offer uncritical support for the government and military in "times of war."

I read this fascinating short book today while flying to and from Melbourne. I was taping an interview for SBS television on the current issues in Israel and the racially exclusionary ideology of Zionism. The episode of the program - Speaking in Tongues - will screen next Monday, January 16. More on this in the days ahead.