The Arab countries in the Middle East have for decades demonized Israel, to Western leadership, which for reasons not entirely clear, listen to them politely. The Bush Administration, for example, was infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood years before Obama began mainstreaming them and allowing them to have positions of influence within the White House.
Manfred GerstenfeldJournalists are divided into two groups: those who live by ethics, and those who don't.
Manfred GerstenfeldMedia turned against Israel was a gradual process. And it has gotten worse over the years. I think the main development was the 1982 Lebanon War.
Manfred GerstenfeldWe are in a period called post. In previous periods, anti-Semitism was always direct. Today's anti-Semitism isn't direct. If you say today that the Jews are absolute evil, or Israel is absolute evil, you must say Israeli is committing genocide against the Palestinians. It is very rare to find a Western politician who repeats these things.
Manfred GerstenfeldWe have to separate here the church in its broad sense. We have Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox churches. The Catholic church is a corporation like a chief executive. A fairly homogenous operation. Today its attitude toward anti-Semitism is much more severe than it's ever been. The Catholic Church today is much less the problem than the other groups.
Manfred GerstenfeldThere are a variety of reasons. Not all Western leaders are equal. We have to make a certain separation from naรฏve Americans and Europeans. These are two different categories. For the Europeans, it affects the image of the "New Europe." The false image of Europe is that it is peaceful, separate from the past. Now the image of the New Europe is a radically false image.
Manfred Gerstenfeld