PBS at War with Netanyahu and Israel [Article]

[Beautiful]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the most polarizing political leaders on the world stage. His hardline politics on Iran and Israeli-Palestinian affairs have won him both intense support and bitter criticism at home and abroad — all the more so after his dramatic attempt in March to derail President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran in front of the U.S. Congress. With new waves of violence between Israelis and Palestinians unfolding and Israel-U.S. relations already emerging as a 2016 campaign issue, FRONTLINE presents Netanyahu at War – an epic, two-hour documentary from veteran filmmaker Michael Kirk tracing Netanyahu’s path to power, his combative relationships with multiple U.S. presidents and the implications in America and the Middle East. Netanyahu at War premieres Tues., Jan. 5, 2016 at a special time – 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST – on PBS and online.

pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/netanyahu-at-war/

Tonight January 5

 

[Peebo]

Thanks…agree or disagree with Netanyahu it should be interesting to watch

 

[7_Sorrows]

Thank you. I do enjoy Frontline and I admire Bejamin Netanyahu. I hope I can watch it if I can win the coin toss for the tv tonight.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I thought it was very interesting although the last hour seemed to be more about Obama than Netanyahu. I didn’t realize he had spent so much time here in the US. growing up. He has a hard job and I think he is good for Israel. It made me feel really ashamed of our president and how naive and inexperienced he was when he took office.

 

[Dwyer]

I watched / listened to most of the Frontline documentary.

Mr. Netanyahu wants to start and then drag America into World War IV with Iran and use our U.S. military as backup to do the bulk of the fighting against Israel’s archenemy, Iran.

According to the documentary, Bibi didn’t bomb Iran because he wanted U.S. military support in case a war broke out between Israel and Iran and Obama wouldn’t give it to him.

I don’t want the Prime Minister of Israel or any other country directing United States’ foreign policy.

President Obama, no matter how misguided on other issues, deserves praise for not getting our country involved in the animosity between the two nations (Israel and Iran) each currently controlled by religious nationalist politicians.

Matthew: 5:9 Blessed are the Peacemakers.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I watched / listened to most of the Frontline documentary.

Mr. Netanyahu wants to start and then drag America into World War IV with Iran and use our U.S. military as backup to do the bulk of the fighting against Israel’s archenemy, Iran.

According to the documentary, Bibi didn’t bomb Iran because he wanted U.S. military support in case a war broke out between Israel and Iran and Obama wouldn’t give it to him.

I don’t want the Prime Minister of Israel or any other country directing United States’ foreign policy.

President Obama, no matter how misguided on other issues, deserves praise for not getting our country involved in the animosity between the two nations (Israel and Iran) each currently controlled by religious nationalist politicians.

Matthew: 5:9 Blessed are the Peacemakers.

I would hardly call Obama a peacemaker here in America or the Middle East.

 

[Beautiful]

I would hardly call Obama a peacemaker here in America or the Middle East.

Yeah, I agree…hardly a peace maker.

A couple important things not mentioned in the documentary…USA owned Genie Oil & Gas genieoilgas.com/about-us/strategic-advisory-board/ has vested interest in the newly discovered extra large oil field in Golan. (Golan is part of the disputed 1967 territory.) The wealth from that field will play an important part in determining the outcome in that disputed part of the world…particularly for Israel. Because of the oil…the ball is in Israel’s court and Netanyahu knows it.

 

[7_Sorrows]

Yeah, I agree…hardly a peace maker.

A couple important things not mentioned in the documentary…USA owned Genie Oil & Gas genieoilgas.com/about-us/strategic-advisory-board/ has vested interest in the newly discovered extra large oil field in Golan. (Golan is part of the disputed 1967 territory.) The wealth from that field will play an important part in determining the outcome in that disputed part of the world…particularly for Israel. Because of the oil…the ball is in Israel’s court and Netanyahu knows it.

Good point. Thanks for bringing that up.

 

[Path_Finder]

PBS at War with Netanyahu and Israel

One thing that can be said about the PBS Frontline documentary Netanyahu at War is that despite many serious shortcomings, there are some positive aspects that make it not as bad as previous PBS and Frontline documentaries on Israel.

If it’s not obvious, that’s somewhat faint praise.

The fundamental problem with Netanyahu at War, is that a war by definition requires at least two participants, and focusing only on Netanyahu, and not also on those who were making war against Israel, makes it impossible to really understand why Netanyahu and Israel took the actions that they did.

It would be like focusing on US attacks on Japan in World War 2, and the undeniable suffering of Japanese civilians, without mentioning Pearl Harbor, the Rape of Nanking, Japan’s alliance with Hitler, etc.

Great emphasis is given to Netanyahu’s actions regarding the Palestinians and their leader Yasir Arafat, but there is hardly a word concerning Arafat’s history or actions.

Thus, viewers are told that as a young soldier Benjamin Netanyahu was accepted into the top unit in the Israeli army, the then-secret Sayeret Matkal, and that he took part in a successful rescue mission after “militants” had hijacked a Sabena airliner headed for Israel with many Israeli passengers on board.

It’s certainly appropriate for viewers to learn of Netanyahu’s sterling military record, and how this might have helped to shape his character.

But the “militants” he battled against in the hijacked plane were described only as being from “Black September,” and viewers were given no hint that Black September was just a cover name for a Fatah terrorist group – ultimately under the command of Fatah’s leader, Yasir Arafat.

Read more at: camera.org/index.asp?x_context=3&x_outlet=18&x_article=3215

4 times Obama and Netanyahu got along that ‘Frontline’ skipped

WASHINGTON (JTA): PBS’ “Frontline” aired “Netanyahu at War” last night, and there’s a lot of social media buzz about the nearly 2-hour documentary, which chronicles Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s career and then veers into his relationship with President Barack Obama.

Allow me a mixed-generation metaphor — boomers and millennials — for my takeaway: The film casts the Obama-Netanyahu relationship as a Wile E. Coyote vs. Roadrunner story, told in the style of VH1’s classic series “Behind the Music” (dramatic angles, swelling ominous music and then the big breakup).

Look, there’s no denying these two men are less than bosom buddies, but “Frontline” extracted conflict from a relationship that is more nuanced. The documentary rendered each man as a caricature of vindictive, irrational behavior.

I’ve been covering their relationship from the get-go, and yes, there are quirks to how they deal with each other, but each leader for the most part acts according to his perception of his nation’s interests.

Here are four examples of how Obama and Netanyahu went out of their way to advance the U.S.-Israel relationship — which “Frontline” ignored or skated over.

Read more at: blogs.timesofisrael.com/4-times-obama-and-netanyahu-got-along-that-frontline-skipped/

Indyk on PBS Documentary: By 2013, Obama Had Already Written Off Netanyahu

Following a tense political year in 2012 between Israel and the United States, when it appeared as though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have been supporting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney against Barack Obama in that year’s elections, Obama had essentially “written off Netanyahu,” claimed diplomat and US negotiator Martin Indyk.

Obama’s disregard for Netanyahu came after what journalist Jeffrey Goldberg said was the height of Israeli power on the issue of Iran and the US; throughout 2012 it appeared as though the Israelis were on the verge of striking Iran and potentially drawing the US into another regional military conflict.

But after Obama’s second victory, by 2013 and 2014, “In that period, the air went out of the balloon. … I think that the president has essentially written off Netanyahu,” Indyk said.

But Obama’s new secretary of state, John Kerry, decided to make restarting peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel one of his first major focuses, and Indyk would go on to become Kerry’s special envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace, that lasted nine months from 2103 to 2014.

Indyk’s comments were part of a PBS documentary highlighting the apparent feud between Obama and Netanyahu that precipitated over deep disagreements on Mideast policy, the peace process and the Iran nuclear deal. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday accused Indyk of fabricating a conversation with Netanyahu, in which he said Rabin would have gone on to become a political failure had he not been assassinated.

Read more at: algemeiner.com/2016/01/07/indyk-on-pbs-documentary-by-2013-obama-had-already-written-off-netanyahu/

Perhaps if this is “popular media”, these articles might fall into the correct forum area.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

The problem is that Netanyahu is Jewish and the American Left suffers from antisemitism.

 

[Nelka]

Who is PBS?

 

[tomarin]

Who is PBS?

A publicly funded national television network here in America which is the home of nature and science documentaries, dusty old imported British sitcoms and historical dramas, and do-it-yourself shows. Also some classical music performances. All stuff too high-brow to be found on ‘regular’ commercial television.

Once or twice every year they broadcast some impossibly crowd-pleasing programming to accompany their requests for financial support from their audience.

 

[7_Sorrows]

the entire second hour seemed like it was more devoted to Obama than Netanyahu. I watched the documentary and thought it was pretty good. Personally, I like Netanyahu. He has a tough job to do.