Today, we report again about fake news from Israel. But this
fake news isn’t the ordinary kind of fakery you find in America’s mainstream
media.
In America, fake news hurts America (Dana Blanton, "Fox news poll: fake news hurting US", foxnews, January 24, 2017). This fakery is different. It's fakery-to-make-a-point.
It’s satire. It’s aim is to reveal a truth, not harm a country, a culture or a politician.
Today’s satire focuses on US objection to Israel’s building apartments
for Jews in Israel. The essay below is fakery. It turns reality up-side down so you can understand how outrageous the real reality really is.
The essay comes from preoccupiedterritory (“Trump
Envoy In Talks With Bibi Over Whether US May Build In Washington”, March 27,
2017). It's an essay that reminds us how Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu feels he must seek permission from the US to build homes for Jews in Israeli 'settlements' ("Netanyahu: still in talks with Trump team over settlements", breitbart, March 15, 2017). I have edited/rewritten this fake news story to fit my format. You can read the original at preoccupiedterritoy. Remember, this is satire:
Subtitle: US and Israeli administrations have clashed
previously on American construction projects built on land that was taken from
native American peoples.
Washington, March 27 – Political and diplomatic
sensitivities have heated up regarding construction on Washington, DC land allegedly stolen from indigenous peoples. US President Donald Trump has become cautious
before his administration approves development projects in the US’ declared
capital, White House sources reported today. Trump has dispatched a special
envoy to negotiate with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over the
proposed construction.
Jonathan Greenblatt spent the weekend in Jerusalem
clarifying for Prime Minister Netanyahu what are Trump’s intentions regarding several construction
projects which are slated to occupy land the United States is said to have taken from native
tribes. Construction of that nature has riled indigenous-American rights
activists in the past, and the President aims to reach an understanding with
Netanyahu over the projects in order to prevent Israeli objections to the
building, objections that might carry diplomatic or economic consequences for
the US.
American officials with knowledge of the talks reported that
no progress had been made on an understanding. “These are the closest of
allies, and allies can disagree. The key is frank discussion and the
realization that the friendship, the alliance, is stronger than any one issue,
however strategic,” explained State Department spokesman Mark Toner. “But we
and Mr, Netanyahu will continue our talks so that we do not end up advancing
any construction that he feels is contrary to his interests. It’s the dialogue
here that is critical, regardless of the specifics of any understanding we
reach.”
US and Israeli administrations have clashed previously on
American construction projects built on land that was taken from native-American
peoples, with claims of genocide and ethnic cleansing often characterizing
descriptions of those events. While the US has managed to escape UN
condemnation or sanctions in response to those activities, successive
presidential administrations have worked to maintain friendly relations with
other influential countries such as Israel to prevent such resolutions from
being brought to the UN Security Council.
Some US lawmakers, however, bristle because the US President allows another
country’s policies to exert effective veto power over what these US lawmakers consider
domestic matters. Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) argued that the US should
push ahead with its development plans as a matter of national sovereignty,
regardless of what other nations think of the legitimacy of such moves.
“Now is the time to build, build, build,” insisted Ellison.
“We’ve never had a friend in Jerusalem as strong as Netanyahu, and if we don’t
take advantage of this opportunity to assert our rights to all of this land,
how can we ever expect the world to accept we belong here at all? We shouldn’t be
begging Bibi for permission. He appreciates strong leaders. Our relationship
will weather whatever trouble our domestic decisions may or may not
precipitate. I doubt we’ll have an Israeli administration as friendly as this
one for a long time, if ever.”
--
Yes, this story is a fake. Any people or places whose names look
familiar here bear no resemblance to real people or existing places. So far, it’s
only the US that pressures Israel, not the other way around. So far, Israel Prime Minister has registered
no objections (that we know about) regarding any Trump administration building
plans for Washington, DC.
Of course, tomorrow could bring a new day—along with a new
outlook.
Don’t go away. This story about Israel has just begun.
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