Salem-News Under Attack for Israel Stories

False accusations of anti-Semitism are easily dismissed by those who know us; for those who don't, the only thing we're guilty of is honest reporting on a very hard topic.

(SALEM, Ore.) - People who are dialed into the news know that Israel struck the people of Gaza during the winter of 2008/2009 in an unprecedented military attack called "Operation Cast Lead" that killed more than 1400 people; primarily civilians, over 340 children among them.

Salem-News.com has been under attack in recent days in every imaginable public setting, because we tell the truth about Israel's military tactics, and oppression of the Palestinians.

The person attacking us claims that photos shown of Palestinian children killed in Gaza are "forged" when there are more published online than anyone could count.

We have said it a thousand times and I will say again now, that we engage this subject for the sake of humanity. We do not believe that any group has the right to subjugate, imprison, or eliminate another group of people.

We are accused of something that is utterly false; we are accused of being anti-Semitic, when the only thing we do is to report from the perspective of the oppressed, the unarmed, poverty stricken, hungry and tired people of Gaza.

In fact, among the Salem-News.com team of 52 writers, there is great diversity. Almost, if not every every race is represented. Regarding the three major religions; Christianity, Judaism and Islam, we have multiple writers, of each faith, and we have writers who are not religious at all.

I spent a long time on the telephone with a Rabbi yesterday who is a member of 'J' Street and other peace groups, and this is an individual who does not deny the outrageous, unacceptable treatment of Palestinians.

However, he told me nuance has a great deal to do with it, and the Rabbi strongly believes that using terms like "racist Zionist" is counterproductive. He also believes that any analogies comparing the suffering of Palestinians and the Jews during WWII, "borders on anti-Semitic".

I want to say that this was a good conversation, but I am sad that in the end, it is all about the spoken words; the delivery of the message- more than the message itself.

But I give this Rabbi credit, and I give credit to all people who believe that every human deserves an equal chance. I think his biggest point to me was that if we are going to cause people to open their eyes, we have to be selective with the descriptions we offer. I give merit to his point, regardless of whether I agree.

To those unfortunate people who have been drawn into the snare of an individual who has been viciously attacking us for two days by writing to our advertisers and stating untruths, I apologize. I hope they all understand that there is a machine in place that attacks us if we criticize Israeli policy. We will never stop, we are going to greatly increase our efforts, that is the one single guaranteed result of the attack.

I will bear in mind the conversation with the Rabbi, though I make no promises, because I am not the person or people treating others with a heartless nature; the Israeli Defense Forces do that. Some day they will have to stop.

Today, every week, unarmed protesters are attacked by Israeli forces because they demonstrate for peace. We have shown this over and over, and sooner or later everyone will eventually see it. Some day Salem-News.com won't be the only news group carrying these stories and conveying their relative level of importance, but we have become a central point between well written blog posts and commentary and the mainstream news world. Every day we hear from more people, and we will keep moving it in front of the eyes of our viewers, because this is the information age and the people who commit illegal actions are on the record more than ever.

Bear in mind that a Jewish Judge named Richard Goldstone is who investigated Gaza on behalf of the United Nations. It is he who declared that war crimes had taken place, and it is Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu who ultimately, have blocked it from being fully investigated.

How is complaining about illegal warfare and oppression anti-Semitism? It is not. Yet that is the charge of the individual who has relentlessly emailed our advertisers, churches and synagogues and our writers and far more. This individual brought the team together from our distant locations like never before.

He calls us Israel bashers, when all we oppose is the violence and oppression. We love Jewish people and would defend them the same way. If the Israelis were penned behind walls and surrounded by Palestinians, who believe, because of their religion, that the whole place was theirs, and that the Jews had to live under separate apartheid laws, then baby, we would be only on the side of the Israelis.

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines.

Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

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Comments Leave a comment on this story.

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Zayan Sechel January 25, 2011 8:56 am (Pacific time)

Those Jews that have switched to Budhism may have found their harmony in life. Why can't those Jews that belong to one of the strongest religions in this world - to Judaism, attain the same peace?

random May 19, 2010 2:18 am (Pacific time)

Keep up the good fight

Zarina Bhatia May 18, 2010 6:03 am (Pacific time)

An excellent article Eileen. Anyone telling the Truth is branded as anti-Semitic by the so-called 'chosen' people living in a cuckoo land! Why do Israeli Zionists think? Gideon and many others of Jewish origin do, you know?

Zarina Bhatia May 18, 2010 6:00 am (Pacific time)

Jeremiah May 16, 2010 12:31 pm (Pacific time)

Debbie Menon May 12, 2010 3:10 am (Pacific time) Expressing outrage is less harmful than what Israel continues to do to a defenseless people and what American-Israeli and Jewish lobbies have done to America. What is being anti-semitic ? Why is it a problem to criticize Israel and Jews But, not others? If Israel , the Jews and Zionists or whatever behave themselves and abide by international laws and treat their neighbors with respect, they donot have to fear antisemitism. They are LIARS and have corrupted American politics too. "A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, can even enable a change in the destiny of all humankind." Tim King and his team at Salem-News are sensitive and able to feel the suffering of others, who have not lost their humanity and who are not yet "for sale", true humanists and true American patriots. I for one am truly proud to be associated with them. - Debbie Menon This implies that you believe that, had Jews in Tsarist Russia behaved better, no Pogroms would have occurred. That's assuredly false.

Martial May 15, 2010 8:43 pm (Pacific time)

Goodness me. Whining about people who disagree with you. That's all you folks know how to do. You propound the value of someone who really and truly believes Jews killed Christians in the Middle Ages to drink their blood, Ms. Weir, and then complain when some one calls them, not you, an anti semitic grease bag. This Israel stuff is fun because it's so small and far away from Oregon. Salem is closer to Beijing 5,246 miles than to Tel Aviv 6,914 miles. Lot more people in Korea, one gathers, than in Israel. Lots more going on too.

Editor: My my Martial, 'Law' was it? That would be appropriate. Look buddy, we were slandered by a liar. If your game is laying around and letting people throw crap in your face that is your business, we throw it back, with good aim if I may add, like those well calculated missle shots your brothers in arms fired into Gaza. Warmonger, pro-genocidalist, (is that a word?) whatever you are, just figure that your comments are taken to be hate based and probably won't be approved. We are for peace, and humanity, and therefore you would be sort of an outcast around here at best. The oppression is going to end, you can count on that, and our voice is growing by the day, regardless of whether we are in Salem, or every part of the earth, which is the truth of the matter. I have writers everywhere, and a lot of support from the Jewish community that stands with us and against the oppression.

Douglas Benson May 14, 2010 8:31 am (Pacific time)

I said it before and I would like to say it again .When you say Zionist right or wrong ,the reaction from most people is close to Joe Ham.s comment . I have had to hear this nazi tripe more than I care to .Those jew bankers, those liberal pukes,f**ing socialist,those mexicans ect ect. . I had a boss that spouted this garbage all day and when he would go after the liberals I would remind him that those pukes at the ACLU are the ones who make it possible for them to march in robes and hoods ,burn crosses ,spread thier hate speach ect. Anywho good work guys keep it up ,at least we have a country that we can say whatever the heck we want at least for now . Peace

rexw May 13, 2010 3:52 am (Pacific time)

Anti-Semitic has been the catchcry of the Holocaust marketeers for 60 years and they have done a good job. Well funded of course and recently boosted by billions of US dollars of American aid to Israel. Makes you choke!
But I think it is fair to say that their run is coming to a sharp stop. The long-suffering public will eventually wake up to the fact that Obama is a lackey for big money and the AIPAC Fifth Column and like so many good writers and realists writing the truth, like Tim King, we will all see the sun rise on a day when everyone will realise that the euphoria demonstrated on Obama’s election was hot air straight from a script written by AIPAC and the New World Order and just more marketing hype. After all, like most of the Congress and the corrupt, weak and insipid administration, they have learnt it from the experts who control the media, newspapers, film radio, the money trail, manifested in the likes of Fox ‘one-sided’ News, probably the most evil Machiavellian empire in living memory.
The Third Reich was an amateur in the history of the media.
Goebbels of WWII fame may have started the art of mass manipulation but Fox is trying to outshine him and succeeding too.
So for those writers who have a degree of sensitivity for the phrase anti-Semitic, why I’ll never know, should understand that it is just the remnants of the marketing campaign that started a long time ago and is now running out of steam.
Like any campaign, the Zionist theme is weak on rationality and must be reinforced daily. Hence the numbers of toilers with their little kippah’s, hacking away trying to close down those internet sites that offer the truth, that is the real truth, thereby allowing people to avoid the propaganda from the New York Times, ever loyal to their Israeli Zionist masters.
I can’t wait to see the bumper stickers running around the streets of the US saying, ‘I am an anti-Semite and proud of it!’ or ‘Become an anti-Semitic and get America back’.
It’s coming folks to a town near you.

Tim King: Rex, that means a lot to all of us, thanks so much!

eli May 12, 2010 8:12 am (Pacific time)

There is good reason to say you are anti-Semitic!

When opposition to Israeli policies becomes demonization of Israel - which you do; when you use double-standards for evaluating Israel - which you do, even in citing Goldstone's report of allegations against Israel but not mentioning similar allegations against Hamas Gaza Palestinians, in addition to the fact that even Richard Goldstone says his report on Gaza
presents only tentative find- ings; and when you attempt the delegitimization of Israel's fundamental right to exist - which much of your article does, then your opposition to Israeli policies is really a way of hiding your underlying anti-Semitism.

Tim King: No it isn't, that is not true, and I agree that Goldstone also cited Hamas, but that is not what this particular story was about. You delegitimize the very word by throwing it at me when there are people out there who actually are what you describe. I do not see this as you do, but you are very very wrong to label people this way. Israel is a monster to the people who aren't Jewish, face it. I wish it wasn't that way, and that would be exactly the same feeling if the sides were reversed. You should figure this out.

Debbie Menon May 12, 2010 3:10 am (Pacific time)

Expressing outrage is less harmful than what Israel continues to do to a defenseless people and what American-Israeli and Jewish lobbies have done to America.

What is being anti-semitic ? Why is it a problem to criticize Israel and Jews But, not others?

If Israel , the Jews and Zionists or whatever behave themselves and abide by international laws and treat their neighbors with respect, they donot have to fear antisemitism. They are LIARS and have corrupted American politics too.
"A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, can even enable a change in the destiny of all humankind."
Tim King and his team at Salem-News are sensitive and able to feel the suffering of others, who have not lost their humanity and who are not yet "for sale", true humanists and true American patriots. I for one am truly proud to be associated with them.
- Debbie Menon

May 11, 2010 10:39 pm (Pacific time)

I like how anyone who disagrees with the Israeli point of view is considered anti-Semitic or Nazi. That is the funniest thing those NAZIonists could do.

Coral Anika Theill May 13, 2010 4:19 am (Pacific time)

"The most violent element in society is ignorance." - Emma Goldman Tim and Bonnie King keep shining your light, informing and enlightening those who do not know.

Anonymous May 12, 2010 8:00 pm (Pacific time)

Ref: "Joe Hamilton Post" In case you do not know what you are talking about... The Nazis described the Jewish race as being a parasitic race that has attached itself to various ideologies and movements to secure its self-preservation.

Amanda May 12, 2010 7:30 pm (Pacific time)

The country is full of Israeli sympathizers.I made that observation decades ago, when I worked in Salem for a Jewish owned company, when an appeal for financial support for Israel went out all over, before the "National News Media" even reported Iraeli's war against it's neighbors. There is a reason, why they are so sensitive against criticism...

Zahi May 12, 2010 4:42 pm (Pacific time)

Revel in glory when the minions of the anti-Christ falsely accuse you of anti-semitism.

The Skeptical Cynic May 12, 2010 1:20 pm (Pacific time)

Ignorance is not necessarily evil. If one never had the opportunity to learn or the experience of learning one cannot be condemned as evil. On the other hand, those who have had the opportunity to become informed and educated but are too mentally, morally and spiritually lazy to do so and willfully and purposefully choose to remain uninformed, misinformed and disinformed fall into a different category.

They are so contemptibly stupid as to constitute treasonous criminality. How stupid are they? Try this measurement...

It incredible how monumentally stupid they are. Incurably stupid- terminally stupid. Ebola stupid. I mean rock-hard stupid. Dehydrated-rock-hard stupid. Stupid so stupid that it goes way beyond the stupid we know, into a whole different dimension of stupid. Monkeys throwing feces stupid. Super saturated trans fat stupid, trans-stupid stupid,100% hydrogenated fat stupid, Metaphysically-stupid. Stupid beyond mega stupid by a factor making them yotta stupid. Stupid collapsed on itself so densely that even the neutrons have collapsed stupid. Stupid achieving a plasma state that no intellect can penetrate it stupid . Stupid impregnable by a 25 lb. depleted uranium projectile fired from a 155 howitzer at point blank range stupid. 10 on the Richter Scale stupid. Mount Krakatoa volcanic eruption stupid. Fujita Scale F6 tornado stupid. Stupid exceeding the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale stupid. Stupid higher than a 1000 foot tsunami stupid. Global warming stupid. Stupid so stupid as to be capable of instantaneously melting glaciers stupid. An hour long solar eclipse stupid. Singularity stupid. Singular cerebral neuron stupid. Blazing hot mid-day sun on Mercury stupid. Absolute, ceasing-of-all-molecular-activity, Absolute Zero stupid. ALL IN CAPS STUPID. So stupid emitting more stupid in one second than our entire galaxy emits in a century stupid. Quasar stupid. Exploding nova stupid. . . Stupidity to Avogadro’s Number stupid (6.022 x 1023). Stupid to infinity cubed stupid.
Even bigger stupid than Big Bang Stupid. Stupid so stupid that a new language has to be developed to adequately define the full extent of their stupidity stupid . Stupidity of such a scope that in every dictionary in every language in the universe when one of what ever entity looks up the word ultimate stupid in whatever language in whatever galaxy there will be s picture of them — they are stupid in parallel universes stupid in addition to being in this universe stupid. God actually admitting that their stupidity is even beyond His creativity pay grade to produce so great a stupidity as he/she it scratches head in befuddlement stupid.”
"The Ultimate Flame,"
author unknown
Amended by The Skeptical Cynic

And that’s just for the today.
This will be the starting point to even more of their tomorrow’s stupid.

Attempting to reason with them is like trying to blow out a light bulb

stan van houcke May 12, 2010 12:40 pm (Pacific time)

as a dutch journalist who wrote a book about the israeli-palestinian tragedy i would advise you not to give in to the moral blackmail of the pro-israel lobby. nobody will profit from it, not the p[alestinians nor the jewish israeli's.

William Barth May 12, 2010 10:46 am (Pacific time)

Salem-News is one of the most respected and professional news publications on the world wide web. It is an honor for me to be a contributing writer. Great investigative journalism holds facts and truth above politics. Tim King achieves the highest level of journalism by seeking out 'the facts' on behalf of marginalized and oppressed minorities. Speaking truth to power evokes controversy - as this subject has - but this is how change is made. Change is not easy, but we must make changes if we are to all live in a just world. Israel must support the Palestinians precisely because Jewry has suffered incredible persecution - including the 'crime of crimes', namely, the holocaust. That is why Israel must recognise the human rights and self-determination of other oppressed peoples, that is, the Palestinians. Israel should be a heaven for peoples who suffer a diaspora because that is what Jewry suffered from the time of Moses until the establishment of the State of Israel. In many ways, both groups, Jewry and Palestinians, were the victims of the great powers (Russia, US, UK) that controlled the world since the end of WWI). Now, the international community must do the right thing to 'fix' the conflict by bringing justice to the parties. Tim King's reporting focuses attention and light necessary to bring justice to the peoples who live in this troubled region. Hat's off to Tim King and the Salem-News for their courageous investigative reporting.

Raul Reeve May 12, 2010 9:44 am (Pacific time)

'Salem-News Under Attack for Israel Stories'? This just goes to show that groveling to Zionists, as you do in the recent article 'Evict Pacifica Forum from the U of O Campus', doesn't do you any good! http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may112010/pacifica-forum-ew.php

Jay May 12, 2010 8:39 am (Pacific time)

I would trust Salem-news over Fox news and most other zionist controlled media anyday. Tim don't let the anti-semitic tricks stop you from doing what you do best and that is tell the truth. I've been a loyal follower of your news source and will continue to be a follower!

Anonymous May 12, 2010 7:16 am (Pacific time)

Why don't you tell the true story about the terrorists and the Countries who want to destroy Israel? Why are you so hung up about supporting these terrorists?

Editor: I think you have the language backward. We don't support action against any nation. We are against the oppression of Israel toward the Palestinians; i.e. settlements, the attack on Gaza, the apartheid laws.

Marianne Skolek May 12, 2010 4:56 am (Pacific time)

I am privileged to say I am a writer for Salem-News.com, but more importantly that I have the distinct honor of knowing Bonnie and Tim King for their bravery in assembling the most dedicated, professional and awe inspiring writers ever for any publication in the country. The vile comments written against everything Bonnie and Tim and my wonderful colleagues stand for only reinforces my pride to be associated with everyone at SN. As a side and my opinion only, I am convinced that "Bill Hamilton" is a female.

Coral Anika Theill May 12, 2010 4:34 am (Pacific time)

Salem-News.com understands this truth: "Evil (ignorance) is like a shadow. It has no real substance of its own; it is simply a lack of light. You cannot cause a shadow to disappear by trying to fight it, stamp on it, by railing against it, or any other form of emotional or physical resistance. In order to cause a shadow to disappear, you must shine light on it." - Shakti Gawai, Keep on shining your light, Tim and Bonnie King

Michelle May 12, 2010 4:08 am (Pacific time)

I'm sorry for the late reply. I'm also really sorry for what you guys have had to deal with in the last few days, which really is an attempted attack to all of us interested in Salem News.
I originally found Salem News while searching for good news sources about the Palestinian topic. I was so impressed by Salem News that I contacted them, and have never ceased to be impressed.

Just this weekend, I had to deal with censorship myself, in facebook. People like Bill have hundreds of groups where they report pro-Palestinian activists and get their profiles deleted.

Case in point:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/AntiSemitic-links-bank-by-Virtual-IDF/110441128980342?ref=mf
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38697069983andv=wallandref=search

They usually try to censor anti-israel speech through pressure by friendship, money (advertisers), and even physical threats. I'm almost sure Tim/Bonnie have already witnessed all of the above. Unfortunately, it comes with the territory. The good news is that this clearly means Salem News is doing something right, to make the national israel lobby that afraid.
The bad news is the potential loss of income. I have a feeling the lobby representative won't be successful at persuading them to withdraw their publicity, because I'd like to think advertisers care mostly about web traffic and things of that nature rather than a whinny critic.
But please notify us on any news about this, and if you need any help or support, I'll be here.

Coral Anika Theill May 12, 2010 3:24 am (Pacific time)

I am proud to be a member of the Salem-News.com team. It saddens me when people turn a blind eye to suffering, anyone's suffering. Tim and Bonnie King and Salem-News.com supports victims and the oppressed wherever they may be. Tim and Bonnie King exemplify these beautiful quotes: "Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must–at that moment–become the center of the universe." - Holocaust survivor, Eli Wiesel "Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander." - Holcaust Museum I often reflect on the words from the Talmud, "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." Praying for everyone's highest good. Shalom, Coral Anika Theill, Author, Advocate, Survivor, Reporter for Salem-News.com, Mother of Lost Children, "Comfort the disturbed, disturb the comfortable."

Debbie Menon May 12, 2010 3:11 am (Pacific time)

Expressing outrage is less harmful than what Israel continues to do to a defenseless people and what American-Israeli and Jewish lobbies have done to America. What is being anti-semitic ? Why is it a problem to criticize Israel and Jews But, not others? If Israel , the Jews and Zionists or whatever behave themselves and abide by international laws and treat their neighbors with respect, they donot have to fear antisemitism. They are LIARS and have corrupted American politics too. "A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, can even enable a change in the destiny of all humankind." Tim King and his team at Salem-News are sensitive and able to feel the suffering of others, who have not lost their humanity and who are not yet "for sale", true humanists and true American patriots. I for one am truly proud to be associated with them. - Debbie Menon

Anthony Joseph Geha Yuja May 11, 2010 11:56 pm (Pacific time)

Kudos to you Tim for a splendid article and for your beautiful humanity. Israel's genocidal siege of Gaza and its brutal and humiliating occupation of the West Bank which has been going on for over 40 years are a symbol of human evil inflicted on millions of victimized Palestinians and a shameful chapter in the history of mankind , which should be condemned and stopped in every possible way , although the painful reality is made invisible by a complicit or servile mainstream media.Well done Salem news.

Joe Hamilton May 11, 2010 9:51 pm (Pacific time)

I'm glad there an internet site where all the Nazis losers can blame their miserable lives on Israel and Jews.

Editor: Here is a class example ladies and gentlemen; we have another story today about possible Nazi activity in Eugene, but all Joe here can do is call us Nazi's. Nothing original at all, just the absolutely pathetic little boy who cried wolf scenario and an example of what people must resort to when their cat comes out of the bag. I would still save your sorry ass from real Nazi's though Joe, so keep my number handy.

gp May 11, 2010 8:02 pm (Pacific time)

I am putting a check in the mail, it is time to put my money where my mouth is. I sure hope you didn't lose any advertisers but maybe the financial attack will cause other friends to realize that supporting SN with our pocket books is one way to fight this moral battle.

Editor: Wow, I don't know what to say, except thank you. The wounds have been met with such support, just the thought is more than valuable!

gp May 11, 2010 7:23 pm (Pacific time)

I can't thank you enough either, I second Jack's remark.

Osotan; May 11, 2010 6:48 pm (Pacific time)

if an israeli defence force individual,a democrat and a republican senator, all three weighing the same and almost identical in every way,say nancy pelosi sized, jumped off the peak of Mt. Everast at the same time,which one would hit the ground first?...Answer;who cares? I hope some rabbi charges me with anti-semetic rethoric,I'd consider it an award and hang the accusation on the wall. Abraham and all his wives are the ones who starte all this. If I was god I'd be pissed off at all of them. Thank you very much.

Vic May 11, 2010 6:13 pm (Pacific time)

To the advertisers and supporters of Salem-News.com: THANK YOU ! I am sure you are intelligent enough to realize that for every whiner and threatener, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people who appreciate your support of S-N. You are doing a good thing..maybe more so than you even realize.

Jack May 11, 2010 6:01 pm (Pacific time)

I think your Israel stories are courageous and accurate! Thank you for speaking the TRUTH!!!!!!

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