Israel fury at Sweden organ claim

Published by You on 21 August, 2009 - 16:14

Israel is to lodge an official complaint with Sweden over claims in a newspaper that Israeli soldiers killed Palestinians to sell their organs.

The article was published in the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet this week.

The Swedish ambassador to Israel condemned the newspaper article as "shocking and appalling".

The government in Stockholm has not issued a similar condemnation, and Israeli foreign ministry officials have reacted furiously.

"It is regrettable that the Swedish foreign ministry does not intervene when it comes to a blood libel against Jews," Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said.

"[This] reminds one of Sweden's conduct during World War II, when it also did not intervene."

In a blog post on Thursday evening, Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt wrote that he would not condemn the article, and that freedom of expression is part of the Swedish constitution.

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Submitted by You on 21 August, 2009 - 16:39

Which bit? the story? the Israeli response? the swedish response?

It does however reminds me of the cartoon controversy from a few years ago where Muslims demanded a response too.

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"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by Joie de Vivre on 21 August, 2009 - 18:03

It isn't similar Admin, it's an outright libel.

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  • It can never be satisfied, the mind, never. -- Wallace Stevens
Submitted by Ya'qub on 22 August, 2009 - 02:34

Joie de Vivre wrote:
It isn't similar Admin, it's an outright libel.

Mentioning the war didn't help their case. In fact, if anything, it cheapens it.

Not that Muslims aren't sensitive and petty either. Then again I wouldn't have heard about the allegations at all if the Israeli action didn't bring it to attention of the british press, now there are images of organ-farming when I think of the country 'Israel', where there wasn't before.

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Don't just do something! Stand there.

Submitted by Omrow on 22 August, 2009 - 14:49

I think Aftonbladet should apologise to the Jews.

If it does not then its editor should be sacked.

That kind of thing only creates hatred and racism.

Anyway,

We muslims eat liver.

What they do it get it and roast it in live fire.

Then put some salt on the liver and it tastes good.

I dont know if eating liver and kidneys is allowed to Jews in their holy book Torah?

Does anyone know?

Submitted by You on 22 August, 2009 - 14:55

Ya'qub wrote:
Joie de Vivre wrote:
It isn't similar Admin, it's an outright libel.

... I wouldn't have heard about the allegations at all if the Israeli action didn't bring it to attention of the british press...

This is not the core issue - I would assume it is the job of whatever department that did bring it up to bring up what they would consider to be inaccuracies in the press.

Mentioning the war does not however help their case (cheapens the deaths of millions and reminds me of the boy who cried wolf). I have no idea what the original report contained and if this assertion was directly made, implied, or even mistaken to be implied.

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"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by You on 28 August, 2009 - 02:27

Swedish article on organ harvesting was cheap and harmful journalism

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman should have sent a big bouquet to Donald Bostrom, the Swedish photographer and journalist who wrote the article claiming that the Israel Defense Forces harvested organs from dead Palestinians. And the Foreign Ministry should write a letter of thanks to the editors of his paper, Aftonbladet. It has been a long time since such a propaganda asset has fallen into the hands of the friends of the occupation. It has been a long time since such damage has been caused to people seriously attempting to document its horrors.

The bizarre Swedish report led to a no-less-bizarre Israeli response. Bad and irresponsible journalism crossed paths with bad and irresponsible diplomacy. Instead of simply denying the report, Lieberman, true to form, acted like a bully. In his fiery response - from his disrespectful mention of the Holocaust to identifying every criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism, to his ludicrous demand that the Swedish Foreign Ministry condemn the article - Lieberman caused great diplomatic damage to Israel. He even scandalously attacked Norway for marking the 150th birthday of its greatest author. However, the article's damage to the fight against the occupation cannot be ignored.

Serious journalism's task is to document, investigate and prove - not to call on others to investigate, as the Swedish tabloid did. One may, for example, accuse the Swedish reporter of a crime, writing that he rapes little boys or girls, all based on suspicions and rumors, and call on the Swedish police to investigate. That's what the reporter did with his claims of trafficking in Palestinian organs.

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"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by You on 1 September, 2009 - 23:31

">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qObUs21wl-8]

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"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by You on 9 September, 2009 - 05:59

Israel organs claim row deepens

A Palestinian minister and an Israeli Arab member of parliament have stoked a row over allegations that Israel has taken organs from dead Palestinians.

Issa Qaraqae said Israel was hiding the bodies of dead Palestinian prisoners to disguise evidence of organ trafficking.

Israeli Arab MP Mohammed Barakei said he would believe the organ-removal claims unless Israel disproved them.

Israel has angrily denied the allegations, first made in a Swedish newspaper, calling them "outrageous".

Mr Qaraqae said Israel was "hiding the bodies of Palestinian martyrs to remove the proof of their crimes, including organ trafficking".

He was speaking at a meeting in the West Bank city of Nablus to demand the return of the bodies of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army.

At the same meeting, Mr Barakei, chairman of the Hadash party in the Israeli Knesset, said it was the right of Palestinians to ask "what Israel's reasons are for keeping the bodies of martyrs".

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"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

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