THE ROBERT W. WHITAKER ARCHIVE

For as long as I can remember, which means well over fifty years, when the term "Middle East" has been mentioned in the news it has been followed by the term "Arab-Israeli."

By a curious coincidence, our media are now united in declaring that the one thing that our present terrorist problems in the Middle East have nothing to do with is the term "Arab-Israeli."

The flagship of respectable conservatism, National Review, has a lead article assuring us that fundamentalists in the Arab camp just hate America for what WE are.

The fact that we backed a movement to take away Arab land and helped dispossess Arabs from what Islamic people chose to call THEIR land had nothing to do with it. No, the subject American media have considered almost interchangeable with the term "Middle East" now has absolutely nothing to do with all that hatred that is spewing at us from the Middle East.

So repeat after me: Whatever the cause of Arab hatred of America, it has nothing to do with Israel.

Usually the one thing that Americans agree on is the consistent falseness of the media line. In terms of their believability, the press is in the same category with used car salesman.

So what do we do when the chips are down and it is more important than ever to reject the line that the media -- for obvious reasons -- has chosen to push?

Why, we believe it of course! You'd better if you value your job and maybe even your life.

Guess what happens if you question the media line that Mideast terrorism has nothing to do with Israel? If you mention Israel as a cause of our troubles, you are anti-Semitic. That makes you anaziwhowantstokillsixmillionjews.

I have seen that label used thousands of times, and never yet has it been used for any purpose but to prevent someone from saying what we all know to be true.

In America, you can't yet jail somebody for saying something you decide to label "Nazi." You can ruin him professionally, but so far he can't be jailed for political heresy.

But you can actually imprison somebody for it in a country with Hate Laws. In Britain, the American Ambassador was asked if Middle East hatred of America was not due to our founding and support of the State of Israel. This put the American Ambassador in a bad position. If he addressed the subject, he would have to say that a great deal of that enmity has to do with Israel.

But the Ambassador found a way around that.

He stated crying. British officials apologized for letting a member of the audience ask that question, and the person who asked it may be charged under the British Hate Law.

As usual, when a propaganda line is being pushed this hard, we all know it is nonsense. Nobody is ever this desperate to suppress all opposition unless they know very well that everybody knows what they are saying is false.