babble is rabble.ca's discussion board but it's much more than that: it's an online community for folks who just won't shut up. It's a place to tell each other — and the world — what's up with our work and campaigns.
Hasbara Spam Alert
January 12, 2009 - 9:56pm
With Israel's foreign ministry organising volunteers to flood news websites with pro-Israeli comments, Propaganda 2.0 is here. -- Guardian
What really deserves moral censure is the reaction of many foreign governments to the election of Hamas. People like Peter MacKay rejecting them out of hand could only strengthen the hand of the rocket-firing factions and giving them no reason to do anything else.
In this sense the combattants are relatively blameless in that they are following a script written by fairly irresponsible foreign actors(who had nothing to lose and arms sales expansions to gain.)
The alternative was to support the new Hamas government in its public infrastructure and health work(which it's always been strong on and why it gets most of its Palestinian support) . That approach would have bolstered a less destructive way and undercut recruitement to the militant faction. But its problem is that it takes a whille to show results and is nowhere near as dramatic TV("good" TV for a "24" public) as blowing stuff up.
Israel is now paying for Hasbara.
Source
Spector - do you think this report is legit? Not that I don't believe they'd do it. I just can't determine the primary source of the information.
It's also reported on the very respectable Electronic Intifada under Ali Abunimah's byline. I have no hesitation in accepting it as true.
That's better! It's on page 2 of this document, linked to and translated by EI. Unbelievable. But all too believable. Thanks, Spector.
Perhaps all the Canucklhead pols that sing the zio songs are picking up their stipends too...