In Bloomberg internal news memos, ‘there is no such country’ as Palestine

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

http://mondoweiss.net/2014/05/bloomberg-internal-palestine.html

Last week Michael Bloomberg, the former NY mayor who owns a media empire, visited Israel to accept a prize, and met with an old friend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu later described Bloomberg’s devotion to Israel, funding medical facilities in memory of his parents, though he also hinted that the two men had privately disagreed. According to New York Times coverage on the weekend, Bloomberg “called the growing international movement for a boycott against Israel ‘an outrage’ that is ‘totally misplaced,’ but ducked a question about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” Maybe because Bloomberg’s operation in Dubai is a cash cow.

What follows are leaked excerpts of two news memos to Bloomberg writers and reporters on how to treat the Israel/Palestine conflict. You will see that Palestine just doesn’t count in the world of Bloomberg News. “There is no such country.” It’s part of Israel, or it’s Jewish land: “The land historically belonged to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.”

I am told these notes were sent out by Matt Winkler, a veteran editor who co-founded Bloomberg News, directs the Bloomberg editorial staff, and ghosted Bloomberg’s memoir.

The more recent Bloomberg memo describes the land as historically Jewish and sees the West Bank in part as Israel.

[aranthus]

1. That's because it's true.

The Palestinians are entitled to a state of their own. But they don't have one now, and they never had one before. Why shouldn't Bloomberg tell the truth about that?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

2. "t’s part of Israel, or it’s Jewish land..."

I guess that you believe that as well?

[aranthus]

3. I think I have posted enough for people (including you) to know that I don't believe this.

But here we go again.

I believe that both Jews and Palestinians have a claim to the entirety of the Holy Land. Neither has an exclusive right to all or any part of it. The Jewish claim is stronger, but not exclusive. And since they are two different peoples who are each entitled to a state in the region, then some compromise has to be worked out so that each has a place to exercise their national aspirations. So it isn't "Jewish land" and it isn't "Palestinian land," except in the sense that each side has a claim to it.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

4. Well, you had said it was true, and a clarification

was needed.

The best plan IMHO would be a draw down and removal of Israeli settlments from the West Bank, along with a de-militarized Palestinian population, an agreement on both sides for a cessation of hostilities, and UN Observers to monitor the situatipm fairly. Any population sreas that do not wish to move would be subject to the laws of either Israel or Palestine: with a close watch on human rights abuses by the UN.

Israel can't expect the Palestinians to ever accept large blocks of Israel within their future state just as Israel woild never accept ROR.

[aranthus]

5. We mostly agree,

except that I wouldn't trust the UN to monitor human rights issues or to be able to do anything about it if a problem arose.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

6. Perhaps Russia?