Problematic past. Mofaz
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Mofaz and media’s bias
Op-ed: Media only slam lying politicians when they join rightist camp, praise those who join Left
A short while after light-footedly skipping from the benches of the opposition to the armchairs of the coalition, Shaul Mofaz was forced to contend with his problematic past.
Unity Deal
Raanan Shaked
Op-ed: Mofaz, like Barak before him, emptied Israeli politics of any meaning except survival
Electronic media outlets aired time and again the speech where he reprimanded Netanyahu the liar. Websites quoted en masse his “one does not leave home” letter, sent in the winter of 2005 shortly before he left Likud.
Mofaz’s threats to hit the streets in the summer alongside the leaders of Israel’s social protest movement were gleefully pulled out of the attic as well.
The Kadima chairman experienced on his flesh the fact that the media are not only news producers these days; they are also an excellent archive. They have an important role to play in refreshing the public’s memory.
However, it is a pity that the media are not doing it more often, and in a more equal manner. When Mofaz deserted in the opposite direction in the past, from Right to Left, he was not hit with a media indictment on aggravated fraud.
Ariel Sharon also got off easy when overnight he switched from being a Greater Israel supporter to an enthused fan of the two-state solution. His weak explanations about seeing things differently from the prime minister’s chair were received with general delight. His disengagement news did not draw a wave of replays of the speech where he equated Gaza communities to Tel Aviv.
With just a little effort it was possible to find in the archive Sharon’s pledges to honor the Likud Central Committee’s vote on the disengagement, yet we barely got to hear them. The basic premise around here is that politicians are allowed to lie for the sake of noble peace challenges. When Mofaz will desert Netanyahu, tomorrow or the day after, he’ll enjoy this mindset again.
