At UN As Israel's Danny Danon Talks of Palestinian Hate Toys, Reuters Correspondent Holds One Up As Prop

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 26 -- When Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon came to the UN Security Council stakeout on January 25, Inner City Press asked if he would be using a prop -- a tripod or easel like on October 23 -- for his press encounter.  There will be a surprise, Inner City Press was told.

  As Danon gave his opening statement, correspondents at the stakeout asked to hold a prop, and some did. As Danon began to say how “hate toys” make Palestinian children hate Israelis, he referred to two dolls being held up at the stakeout as props, video here -- one, it turned out, by the UN correspondent of the Reuters wire service.

  What are Reuters' policies in this regard? Inner City Press and the Free UN Coalition for Access have in the past asked Reuters executives, in writing, to state their policies -- without receiving the requested information, rather only a threat to sue revealed by Inner City Press' Freedom of Information Act request to US-government Voice of America, here. Will Reuters' policies on this be made known?

  On this theme of transparency, Inner City Press asked Danon if he and the Israeli government think that a letter UNESCO's Irina Bokova has reportedly sent to Iran should be made public. We'll have more on this.

Back on October 16, 2015 before the emergency Palestine meeting of the UN Security Council began on October 16, Danon came to address the press at the stakeout, with a tripod easel like his predecessor Ron Prosor.

   Inner City Press broadcast the easel via Periscope, and asked Danon about what's said in the Security Council about an expanded Quartet helping the situation. Danon replied that the solution is direct negotiations, with no preconditions.

  Before Inner City Press' question, another reporter posed his, complete with counter-prop, a photo on an i-Pad. (Inner City Press broadcast this too on Periscope.) The Israeli Mission, unlike some others, didn't try to insist that the question had to go to the journalist they'd chosen: the Free UN Coalition for Access favors this allowing of some openness in stakeout, unlike the censoring control asserted by, for example, UN Peacekeeping boss Herve Ladsous and some missions.

   Danon, it emerges, did not speak inside the Security Council; he has yet to hand his credentials to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (who is, once again, traveling, this time in Italy); he said he will do so on Wednesday of next week.

  Outside the Security Council at the stakeout Danon said, “Whoever avoids direct negotiations is looking for an escape hatch, and Abbas’s favorite kind of escape, is to spread slanderous lies about the situation on the Temple Mount, especially about the status quo. However, only 2 weeks ago Prime Minister Netanyahu stood here at the UN and repeated his commitment once again to maintaining the status quo. Let me make it clear. Israel will not agree to any international  presence on the Temple Mount. Any such intervention would violate the decades long status quo.”

   After the speeches in the Council Chamber, Inner City Press asked Palestine's Permanent Observer Riyad Mansour about an international protection presence. He replied that back in 1994 in UNSC Resolution 904, some 37 Scandinavian observers were deployed and remain in Hebron, so why not now? Why not indeed.

  Jordan's Dina Kawar seemed to say that such an international force is not envisioned at this point. Oman's representative, as head of the Arab Group, said work would continue. One wanted to ask her also about Oman's work on the conflict in Yemen, but it was not the time.

  Using the easel that he brought, Danon said, “On Monday, a  Palestinian boy attacked an Israeli boy who was riding his bike, stabbing him no less than 15 times. Let me repeat: 15 times! The victim is still hospitalized in critical condition. Ask yourselves, why would a 13-year-old boy decide to go on a stabbing spree and try to take another boy’s life? The answer is that such acts of terror do not occur in a vacuum. When a Palestinian child turns on a TV, he doesn’t see Barney or Donald Duck, he sees murderers portrayed as heroes. When he opens a textbook, he doesn’t learn about math and science, he’s being taught to hate.”

  Then Danon unveiled a picture or cartoon, knives at a body, widely photographed.

 “This picture you see here is an example of the kind of messages that Palestinian children are being exposed to day in and day out. The picture gives children elaborate instructions on how to stab a Jew. We talk about a lot about incitement- here you see what Palestinian incitement looks like. This picture is what is being taught in middle schools! Instead of educating about peace and tolerance, the Palestinian leadership is brainwashing children with incitement and hate,” Danon continued.

  The UN itself denounced social media, and got asked about its own, or UNRWA staff's, use of social media; UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said the UN reviews even its staff's retweets. Really? We'll have more on this.