Background: Widespread Arab Arson Underplayed By Media

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 5 December 2010

While the main fire in the Carmel could very well turn out to be the result
of teenagers who neglected to make sure that a fire they made was properly
extinguished, this fire was followed by a series of fires intentionally set
by Arab arsonists across the country.

This piece of information is not being censored by the Israeli media in the
sense that it is broadcast for a second and gets a sentence or two in
reports.

But what a JNF official termed “widespread arson terror� apparently doesn’t
fit into the narrative that the Israeli media herd has locked into.

The narrative is:

15% grudgingly admitting that Netanyahu managed to bring in a lot of planes
to put out the fire with coverage of their activity.

35% exploring when a committee of inquiry will be established that will call
for Shas minister of interior Yishai’s head (with the unspoken agenda that
it is hoped that removing Yishai will lead to Shas being replaced by Kadima
in the coalition)

25% color stories about the fate of the people impacted by the fire damage
(with absolutely no discussion of the question as to the underlying fairness
that those who paid for insurance will apparently end up no better off than
those who didn’t – with a clear message to the general public that they are
idiots if they continue to pay for expensive earthquake insurance since if
and when there is an earthquake they will be no better off than their
neighbors who didn’t pay insurance all these years).

25% The funerals and follow up on people killed in the fires

The Arab arson terror is a problematic topic because it is a completely
separate narrative.

It raises questions the media isn’t comfortable with about Arab-Jewish
relations.

And it raises horrific questions about what we may face in terms of internal
Arab caused chaos in the next war and what measures may be required to
address it.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il