Kiwis for Balanced Reporting on the Middle East
November 22, 2007
The following extract is from an article published on the front page of the Dominion Post on October 5, 2007. Note the misquote in the headline.
‘I Need A Maori‘
’(Picture Caption: Israel's new ambassador to New Zealand, Yuval Rotem, hongis with Warrant Officer Doug Wallace while presenting his credentials at Government House. He wants to hire a Maori personal assistant at his embassy in Canberra.)
Israel's new ambassador to New Zealand, Yuval Rotem, says he wants to hire a Maori personal assistant at his embassy in Canberra. “I would like to convince an indigenous New Zealander to work with me - a non-Jewish Maori.”
“The job is to remind me on a daily basis New Zealand is also on my agenda.” Race relations commissioner Joris de Bres said yesterday that it was unlawful in New Zealand to hire somebody on the basis of ethnicity and Australian law was probably the same... ‘
By the 7th of October Jewish graves in Karori Cemetery had been desecrated with anti-Semitic graffiti, including references to the author of the Dominion Post article, Mr Hank Schouten, the Race Relations Commissioner, Mr Joris de Bres and the Israeli ambassador, Mr Yuval Rotem. The New Zealand Jewish Chronicle published the following article that was subsequently reprinted in The Jerusalem Post before being taken around the world by the international media.
‘I Need A Maori‘
By MIKE REGAN, SPECIAL TO THE JERUSALEM POST
For the third time in as many years, Jewish graves in Wellington have been defaced with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel graffiti.
One of six graves that were vandalized in Wellington.
Photo: New Zealand Jewish Chronicle
Karori Cemetery, previously untouched, was the target in an attack discovered on October 7 that was evidently set off by a front page article in Wellington's Dominion Post two days earlier. Six graves were desecrated - some with stencils and some in freehand — and all in vivid blue paint.
Together with the usual anti-Semitic phrases such as ‘Hitler RIP, ’ ‘Rot you filth ’ and ‘Juden swine, ’ the vandals wrote phrases such as ‘Terror State Israel Burn, ’ ‘Schouten — Rotem is ZIONIST PIG ’ and ‘DE BRES YOU SWINE — OUT, ’ leaving no doubt that the perpetrators' ire had been set off by Hank Schouten's front-page article about new, Australia-based Israeli Ambassador Yuval Rotem under the banner headline ‘I need a Maori. ’
Rotem ended a long interview with Schouten by saying he would like to employ a Maori in his Canberra office to improve relations and understanding. Schouten focused his story on this politically-incorrect indiscretion, taking Rotem to task for being unaware of New Zealand law relating to discrimination, especially in employment, even bringing in Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres to provide an authoritative opinion.
While previous desecrations focused on Jews alone, this latest attack also targeted Schouten, de Bres and Israel — showing a direct connection to the Dominion Post article, said Wellington Regional Jewish Council chairman David Zwartz.
“In my mind there is no doubt about the connection,” he said. “I was disappointed that Hank Schouten picked up on a throwaway line at the end of a one and half hour interview and made it the focus of his article, but to my mind there is no doubt that someone read it with malicious interest and acted.”
He added that it was ironic that Schouten and de Bres were attacked.
“It shows a low level of understanding by the desecraters that they apparently associated Joris de Bres with Jews and the Israeli ambassador, when in fact his comments criticized the ambassador,” said Zwartz.
“It is symptomatic of a general negative New Zealand media attitude toward Israel, that what was an unwittingly inappropriate suggestion by the ambassador became a calculatedly critical article from the Dominion Post,” Zwartz added.
The day after the damage to the cemetery was discovered, the Wellington City Council's anti-graffiti response team was on the job, with almost all evidence of the attack gone by lunchtime.
The desecration was discovered by the friend of a Jewish community member during a morning stroll. He told his friend, who immediately reported it to the Wellington Hebrew Congregation Chevra Kadisha. They decided not to publicize the attack for fear of prompting copy-cat incidents or gratifying the perpetrators.
In a discussion at the Wellington Regional Jewish Council involving this reporter two weeks later, it was decided that because of the clear links between the Dominion Post article, the vandalism warranted wider attention.
Three years ago, Jewish graves at the Bolton Street and Makara cemeteries were desecrated, with more than 80 graves overturned and vandalized and the Tahara House burnt down at Makara, and historic gravestones smashed at Bolton Street. The attacks took place within a period of two weeks.
The perpetrators have not been found.
The Dominion Post reported the desecration in two articles, placing the blame for the desecration on the ambassador's reported comments. In no way did the Dominion Post take any responsibility for inciting or influencing those individuals who committed the desecration of Jewish graves. No apology was given in print, no retraction was published.
1 November 2007
Jewish graves daubed with graffiti
Jewish graves in Wellington have been attacked for the third time in three years.
Vandals, apparently prompted by comments from Israeli ambassador Yuval Rotem in The Dominion Post, sprayed anti-Semitic graffiti over six graves in the Karori Cemetery last month...
2 November 2007
Grave vandals ‘cowardly hoons ’
Vandals who daubed swastikas and other graffiti on Jewish graves in Wellington have been condemned as ‘cowardly hoons ’.
David Zwartz, head of the region's Jewish Council, said the repeated desecration of Jewish graves around the area was causing great hurt. Last month's attack, in Karori cemetery, was the third such incident in three years. “Why should the family of a dead Jew in Wellington suffer for what is in the mind of an anti-Semite?” Mr Zwartz said...
The following letter by Kirsty Walker, written on November 4, was published in the Dominion Post on 10 November 2007. In addition to minor editing, the editor removed the references (shown in red) to the names of Mr Schouten, Mr de Bres and Mr Rotem.
The role of a newspaper
I read with interest Mr Schouten's article about Israeli Ambassador Rotem's visit to New Zealand (Friday, 5 October 2007). I then read, with even greater interest, about the consequences of this article's publication (Thursday, 1 November and Friday, 2 November 2007).
Mr Schouten's article said little about Mr Rotem, an accomplished career diplomat. Rather, it regurgitated old ‘news ’ that added nothing to the building of Israeli-New Zealand relations.
When the Dominion Post reported the desecration that occurred in Karori cemetery immediately following the publication of Mr Schouten's article, it blamed Mr Rotem's reported comments for leading vandals to scrawl anti-Semitic graffiti (and Mr Schouten's, Mr de Bres' and Mr Rotem's names) on Jewish graves. It overlooked the point that the Dominion Post's biased, anti-Israeli reporting was clearly linked to the desecration.
Ambassador Rotem, the Jewish community, and all humanity, should be treated with respect and dignity, not exposed, through irresponsible journalism, to acts of intimidation and desecration. The Dominion Post needs to consider it's function — it can either become a tool of bias and propaganda, or it can function as a tool of democracy, reporting newsworthy events honestly, without bias.
Kirsty Walker
This letter generated two responses, published in the Dominion Post's Letters to the Editor on November 15 2007. Both letters ignored Mrs Walker' points of complaint, while accusing Israel of ‘barbarism ’, ‘atrocities ’, blatantly breaching human ‘rights ’ and ‘massacres ’ . These led to the following letters written in response:
Dear Editor:
Evidently Damian Clarke and Tali Williams (Letters, 15 November) missed the point of my letter (10 November). It was not about the reporting of ‘atrocities ’ allegedly committed by Palestinians and Israelis against one another in the Middle East.
I was drawing attention to the fact that unbalanced reporting, such as that seen in Hank Schouten's interview with the Israeli Ambassador, Mr Yuval Rotem, (5 October) feeds prejudice and hate, as was witnessed in the desecration of Jewish graves in Karori Cemetery. That your article was directly linked to this vandalism is evident in the fact that the names of Mr Schouten, Mr Rotem and Mr De Bres were scrawled on Jewish graves, along with the more typical anti-Semitic graffiti; a relevant fact that your paper failed to report. Had Mr Schouten reported more of what Mr Rotem actually said in the interview, rather than regurgitating ‘old news ’ and finding offence where none was intended, the Jewish community of Wellington could have been spared a great deal of pain.
The Dominion Post cannot be held accountable for hate crimes committed in this country; but in this particular instance, I believe you should be held responsible for feeding the unthinking hate and prejudice that caused the desecration committed in Karori cemetery in October.
Kirsty Walker
Hamilton
Dominion Post published the following letter on November 24 but omitted words in red.
Dear Editor:
Shame on you for the Oct. 5 article that turned the new Israeli ambassador's well-meant remarks into a racial issue, unnecessarily dragged up incidents from the past, and even misquoted him in the headline. Shame on you for not reporting the cemetery desecration fully (Nov. 1 and 2), concealing the obvious link to your article. Shame on Tali Williams (Letters, Nov. 15) for using a letter protesting this (Nov. 10) as an excuse to accuse Israel of ‘barbarism ’, ‘atrocities ’ and ‘massacres ’.
The truth is that Israel, a country under constant attack since its founding, has responded with more restraint than any other country would in similar circumstances. Yet people who patiently undergo security checks at airports complain when Israel, which has suffered the per capita equivalent of dozens of 9/11's, puts up checkpoints to screen suicide bombers. To those who know the truth, Israel's morality stands tall. What Arab leader would have said (or felt) what a former Israeli Prime Minister expressed, “When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.”
Rodney Brooks, Chairman
Kiwis for Balanced Reporting on the Mideast
Dear editor,
I opened the copy of The Dominion Post dated the 15th November in our local library and was dismayed to read the letters by Williams and Clark who clearly lack knowledge about the situation in the Middle East. Both letters were so full of half truths an incorrect facts, that the authors squarely place themselves amongst the most hardened anti-Semites.
Take for instance the concept that there are no embassies in Jerusalem. I lived in Jerusalem for many years. Numerous foreign embassies are now situated in Jerusalem, however, most Arab and Muslim country embassies remain in Tel Aviv.
Williams and Clark may also be enlightened to learn that Israel really does seek an honourable peace with its neighbours, however Hamas sees the destruction of Israel as its raison d'âtre, conveniently blaming all their woes on Israel, whilst at the same time ramming home their message with a daily barrage of Kassam rockets into southern Israel, (just in case you doubted their intentions). Remember, there is not one Israeli left in Gaza. Of course Israel will respond to defend itself, so don't be surprised when Israel takes out those rocket launchers, handily located in school playgrounds and on hospital rooftops.
Giving these home-grown anti-semites a voice easily leads to provocation and slander against minorities. A large and respected paper such as The Dominion Post should closely review the material of its readers ’ letters to ensure that as far as possible, the contents are not tantamount to incitement. By allowing its ’ readers letters to proliferate made-up facts, one begins to question the integrity of the The Dominion Post.
R. Easton,
Northland
Joris de Bres, the Race Relations Commissioner who was quoted in the original article, met with David Zwartz, Honorary Consul of Israel and Chair of the Wellington Regional Jewish Council , and released the following statement.
Desecration of Jewish Graves in Wellington: Pause for Thought
Our sympathy and solidarity go out to the Jewish community in Wellington and elsewhere following the desecration in October of a number of graves in the Karori Cemetery with anti-Semitic slogans and swastikas. It is now over three years since graves in two other Wellington cemeteries, Bolton Street and Makara, were desecrated, leading to a major public outcry, a unanimous resolution in Parliament condemning the acts, and a renewed public commitment to the promotion of tolerance and understanding through the establishment of the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme.
What was different about the recent occasion was that it was directly attributable to an article that appeared in Wellington's Dominion Post, written by a Dominion Post reporter, which featured a story about the new Israeli Ambassador wanting to employ a Maori personal assistant. The front page story, including a picture of the Ambassador receiving a hongi at his official welcome, focused almost entirely on this angle, including a quote from the Race Relations Commissioner in response to a question from the journalist as to the legality under the Human Rights Act of specifying ethnicity for employment in a position.
The fact that this story prompted the graffiti on the graves is evident from the inclusion of the name of the journalist and of the Race Relations Commissioner along with the Israeli Ambassador amongst a variety of anti-Semitic slogans and swastikas. While not denying the Dominion Post's freedom to publish the story, the fact that it evoked such a deplorable response gives us pause for thought: with the benefit of hindsight, was it really a necessary or important story? Was there nothing else in the interview with the Israeli Ambassador that could have been reported instead or ahead of what was published? Knowing that this kind of response can happen should at least make us think twice before proceeding with publication unless there are strong public interest arguments to the contrary.
The Wellington Regional Jewish Council has arranged to meet with the editor of the Dominion Post to discuss the situation further.