"Whilst the media is not supposed to have any predetermined interest in a particular issue…(the media) only aims (sic.) at defending the general objective and the general good, one has to take into account that this is not always the case. Sometimes we need as Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), to make use of the international media in order to exert pressure on both the PNA and the Israeli government by developing an international public opinion."In the particular [not generic] case of Palestine, we have now neither self- rule, nor autonomy, that in our case, the self-rule has the potential to lead to statehood.
"In order to influence the general policy in one way or another, all CSOs should know how to influence the media. The best known way to do this is to come up with a hidden agenda (italics mine), and deciding on the most suitable time to release information to the media in order to direct the media towards a predetermined slogan, a defined demand. The best method for exerting pressure, is to transform a problem into a public opinion issue, using the media."
Thus does PASSIA undertake a Madison Avenue approach to terrorism with U.S. tax dollars. This U.S. taxpayer-funded "how-to" manual was written in 1998.
When it comes to media manipulation, PASSIA'S job was made easy for them. As the booklet continues into chapter 6, a "discussion" is recounted. The participants are moderators Dr. Khatib and Rami Khouri of Jordanian television, Tudor Lomas and two Western journalists: Eric Weiner, of National Public Radio (NPR) - another U.S. taxpayer funded enterprise - and Lyse Doucete of the BBC.
Readers are first told by Weiner that, "being balanced, according to their mandate, can be frustrating" and urges the audience/reader "to present your stories on a human level and not rely on the facts." Present tear-jerkers in which Israelis "have to justify their existence, which makes it easier to get through to us."
Ms. Doucete, who refers to homicide bombers as "honor" killers, believes "her job is to translate" rather than simply report the news, because "Israel is led by a Prime Minister who believes that it is not Israel's policy that is wrong, just that they have to explain it better." And so she admonishes the Palestinians, "if you want to beat the Israelis, you have to beat them at their own game." Thereupon follows eight pages of clear instruction on how the Palestinians can manipulate the press to their own advantage. Weiner again: "The fact that you have 1,000,000 pounds from the British government is not particularly interesting. But, if you explain why it is going to make such a difference by saying, ‘Did you know that since the closure was imposed we haven't been able to get paper through to Bethlehem?’ . . . we are far more likely to be interested."
And still more from Doucet: "You should also know how to pick your target. Always be smart about where you pitch your story, and pitch it at the right time . . . It is true that Israel is treated with kid gloves and not held to the same standards as Iraq when it comes to UN resolutions."
In terms of financial responsibility of PASSIA, this organization is registered under The Registrar of Non-Profit Organizations in the Israel Ministry of Interior, along with all other Jerusalem-based organizations. A review of PASSIA's publicly accessible financial records show that PASSIA does not mention USAID as a funding source, nor does it even record the income of USAID in its annual recorded income.
When queried, the Registrar responded to an inquiry from the U.S. House International Relations Committee in May 2002, in which he stated that, indeed, USAID allocations do not appear anywhere in the records of PASSIA.
PASSIA asked for more time to submit its records, and most recently showed an average annual income of $250,000.
This past week, the Registrar for Non-Profit Organizations reported once again to a query from the U.S. House International Relations Committee in which he indicated that PASSIA has not recorded U.S. AID funds on its books. So much for U.S. requirements for rigorous standards of financial responsibility.
The House of Representatives cannot get an accurate accounting of PASSIA's USAID funds, but it is the U.S. taxpayer who deserves an explanation: Why are his tax dollars being used to manipulate his own government in favor of suicide bombers?
**Israel Resource News Agency, based at the Bet Agron Int'l Press Center in Jerusalem, is affiliated with the Center for Near East Policy Research, located at 52 Beard Way, Wellesley, MA 02482, USA. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Bedein is the bureau chief of the Israel Resource News Agency, located at the Beit Agron International Press Center in Jerusalem.