Karl Vick and the Crime of Misleading the Public

Karl Vick and the Crime of Misleading the Public

By Dovid Efune

There is something wrong with TIME Magazine's Jerusalem Bureau Chief Karl Vick.

By now many readers will agree that the publication is long bereft of any shred of journalistic integrity when it comes to matters relating to Israel.

Taking a page from the 'Pallywood' script, Vick has continuously parroted the diabolical rhetoric of Israel's worst enemies and failed to fulfill his basic responsibilities as a journalist.  When skimming through the list of his recent articles for TIME, one might mistake him for a Palestinian propaganda minister.   He continues to lacerate Israel and its leaders, and describes Palestinian personalities in glowing terms.

In his latest article, entitled 'Israel's Rightward Lurch Scares Some Conservatives,' Karl Vick, who was the author responsible for accusing  Israelis of not caring about peace in the now infamous cover story, accuses Israel of 'taking a page from neighboring authoritarian states.' He also refers to Israel as having a 'Secret Police,' and states that 'self-righteous indignation is a staple position for the Israeli public.'

The catalyst for the article was recent new legislation introduced by government coalition partner Yisrael Beiteinu including a bill that calls for "stripping the citizenship of any Israeli convicted of espionage."  Vick also criticized new legislation that calls for inquires to be made into the funding of NGO's operating within Israel on all sides of the political spectrum (a small fact that he neglected to mention.) The article is riddled with perverse insinuations, is factually inaccurate, presumptuous and paints with a broad brush. 

It seems that there are some elementary Middle East realities that Vick has failed to internalize; in his last article he neglected to differentiate between 'Peace' and 'the Peace Process.' Now, he negates the legitimacy of Israel's elected government, labeling representative leaders as extreme, suggesting that they act on their own accord against the will of the people.

If one who didn't know any better was reading the article, s/he might be left with the impression that Israel is headed for an authoritarian takeover.

Scratch beneath the surface, and Vick will discover that what is in actuality taking place is that Israel is faced with a reality in which terrorist organizations and NGO's collaborate and support each other in working to undermine Israel's security . It also must deal with foreign governments that are sponsoring politically-motivated groups (who carry the banner of humanitarian work), as well as a large influx of illegal immigrants that is threatening the financial stability of many Israelis.

Israelis are very aware of the unique threats that they face and their elected leaders are working to address these challenges in a comprehensive and results-oreinted fashion. There is no reason for any country to accept extensive and aggressive belligerent meddling in its internal political affairs by any foreign government, and Israel is now finally beginning to address this interference.

TIME Magazine is a staple in many American households and is likely to be amongst the most widely read periodicals worldwide, and so, if Vick is ignorant on these matters, than this influential magazine is guilty of gross irresponsibility. But if Vick is informed and is acting out of malice by twisting the realities on the ground, than it is only a matter of time before he oversteps his mark and will be  forced to resign in shame.

The Author is the director of the Algemeiner Journal and the GJCF and can be e-mailed at defune@gjcf.com. Please visit www.gjcf.com for more information.