Making news, generating fury

News organizations spend most of their time covering the news, but from time to time they also bring together policy movers and would-be shakers to a conference in the hope one of them will say something both worthy and newsworthy.

It could be expected that Haaretz would generate more than a few headlines from its New York conference, which it held together with the New Israel Fund and which was attended by President Reuven Rivlin, Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Eraket and US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power (to name a few).

The front page of the paper leads with Obama’s video message to the conference Tuesday. “Obama: Only peace will guarantee a Jewish and democratic state,” the headline reads.

Inside, the conference generates more news with the paper reporting on Rivlin’s rejection of criticism for his participation alongside controversial NGO Breaking the Silence.

“‘I didn’t come to a Breaking the Silence conference, I came to a conference sponsored by Haaretz – a newspaper I’ve read for 70 years to know why what I think is right,” he told Channel 2 television. ‘Moreover, I think it’s one of the most important papers for the existence of Israeli democracy,'” the paper happily reports the president as saying.

But the conference is an equal-opportunity headline-provider. The front page of the daily Israel Hayom is nearly entirely filled with coverage of the event, declaring in massive lettering, “They took down the flag” above a photo of Rivlin speaking in front of Israel’s flag next to another photo of the PA’s Erekat, minus the emblem.

Next to the headline is an op-ed by Israel Hayom analyst Haim Shine entitled, “Only the feeble radical left would fold their own flag.”

“Could we ever imagine an American organization or newspaper agreeing to fold away their flag just so their most bitter enemy could speak? The answer is as clear as day,” Shine writes. “Only the radical left, at the height of its sycophancy, feebleness and lack of direction would do such a thing,” he answers.

The paper then goes on to five pages of naming-and-shaming against left-wing NGOs it claims receive a majority of funds from foreign sources.

“There are Israeli organizations that people think are ‘left wing’ or focused on ‘human rights’ but are in fact nothing of the sort,” the paper alleges based on a Sunday report of right-leaning NGO Im Tirtzu.

Yedioth Ahronoth also reports on the missing flag during Erekat’s speech, but leaves the story for readers to find deep inside the paper. Instead, the front page reads “Abuse by Hamas” next to a photo of the bereaved mother of fallen soldier Oron Shaul.

Shaul was killed during summer 2014’s 50-day military campaign, Operation Protective Edge, against Hamas in Gaza. His body and that of fellow soldier Hadar Goldin were not recovered; Israel classified both soldiers as killed in action.

In response to a chilling letter claimed by Hamas to have been penned by Shaul and released Sunday morning, his mother, Zehava, is demanding physical evidence that her son is still alive, and promising the family would “turn the country upside down” in order to bring him home if he is.

Yedioth calls the latest Hamas tactic “disgusting.”

“Hamas has a long history of abusing the families of captured soldiers and those that have died at their hands and in the past few months it has been the turn of the Shaul family,” writes Yedioth correspondent Elior Levy.

The paper also offers the response of former Hamas captive Gilad Shalit, who was held by the terror group from 2006 to 2011.

“I think Zehava Shaul did the right thing by putting [Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail] Haniyeh on the spot. The family can decide steps to take based on his response,” said Shalit, according to Yedioth. “I can only offer the families my greatest hope that their sons will be returned home as fast as possible and that their hell will soon be over.”

Haaretz reports on the possible reaction of Hamas to the demands, saying a response could come Monday.

“Sources in Gaza said that if Hamas chooses to respond, Haniyeh will do so tomorrow during his address at a rally marking the 28th anniversary of the movement’s founding,” according to reporter Jacky Khoury.

The paper suggests Hamas will only give information in return for the release of its prisoners from Israeli prisons, but speculates Israel is unlikely to give in to such demands.

“Last week the High Court of Justice denied a petition by eight rearrested prisoners to be released. The eight will have to serve out the original life sentences.”