Very nice job by former Palestinian terrorist Walid Shoebat on CNN. I especially liked the moment where he corrects the interviewer on the reason Israeli had put him in prison:
The casual use of inaccurate language is how understanding gets mangled. Shoebat very perceptively refuses to let it slide and simultaneously explains circumstances and exposes a press weakness.
Engage has a post about "AN INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF DR. GASSAN SHARIF KHALED WHO WAS ABDUCTED BY THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION ARMY ON 16/01/08"
I'm linking to it because I find it an interesting contrast in tone and substance to the truth Shoebat is trying to bring out in his interview with that rather disapproving interviewer...
That post, the rush to sign on and the inability to answer the serious questions posed in the comments thread is a good reminder of why I frequently link to particular Engage pieces, but never the entire effort of the site.
I was annoyed at the interviewer at one point. She was corrected by Shoebat when she erroneously stated that Israel had jailed him because of his beliefs. He said he had been jailed for his terrorist activities. So then, in a feeble attempt to recoup, she said, "You were jailed for your belief in terrorist activity, then. Let's put it that way." I looked at the video again, and I thought I'd caught a hint of a smile there. Was she being facetious? Well, no, I don't think so; she seemed to be serious. Would it have killed her to just take the correction graciously and move on?
The interviewer treated Shoebat as a prosecutor would a hostile witness. To me it seems obvious that she disapproves of his change of heart. That little mis-correction was not about saving face. It was a statement that she still thought Israel was wrong to jail him. A belief in terrorist activities is just a belef, not an activity, she wants to say. It is the right of freedom of speech, and all that.
A Palestinian who supports terrorist activities in principle, but does not incite to terrorism or participate in it...just believes in it...that Palestinian wouldn't be jailed, either. So she's still off the beam.
She definitely was cool to Shoebat. The most extensive thing she offered in response to him was "we're out of time now."
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Engage has a post about "AN INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF DR. GASSAN SHARIF KHALED WHO WAS ABDUCTED BY THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION ARMY ON 16/01/08"
http://www.engageonline.org.uk/blog/article.php?id=1733
I'm linking to it because I find it an interesting contrast in tone and substance to the truth Shoebat is trying to bring out in his interview with that rather disapproving interviewer...
That post, the rush to sign on and the inability to answer the serious questions posed in the comments thread is a good reminder of why I frequently link to particular Engage pieces, but never the entire effort of the site.
I was annoyed at the interviewer at one point. She was corrected by Shoebat when she erroneously stated that Israel had jailed him because of his beliefs. He said he had been jailed for his terrorist activities. So then, in a feeble attempt to recoup, she said, "You were jailed for your belief in terrorist activity, then. Let's put it that way." I looked at the video again, and I thought I'd caught a hint of a smile there. Was she being facetious? Well, no, I don't think so; she seemed to be serious. Would it have killed her to just take the correction graciously and move on?
The interviewer treated Shoebat as a prosecutor would a hostile witness. To me it seems obvious that she disapproves of his change of heart. That little mis-correction was not about saving face. It was a statement that she still thought Israel was wrong to jail him. A belief in terrorist activities is just a belef, not an activity, she wants to say. It is the right of freedom of speech, and all that.
Even then, the interviewer's wrong.
A Palestinian who supports terrorist activities in principle, but does not incite to terrorism or participate in it...just believes in it...that Palestinian wouldn't be jailed, either. So she's still off the beam.
She definitely was cool to Shoebat. The most extensive thing she offered in response to him was "we're out of time now."