Israel

August 29, 2011

JPost fires Larry Derfner for controversial blog post

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The Jerusalem Post fired senior reporter Larry Derfner after he penned a controversial blog post justifying terrorist attacks against Israelis.

The post, titled “The awful, necessary truth about Palestinian terror,” appeared on a personal blog Derfner shares, Israel Reconsidered. It stoked a firestorm of controversy in Israel for appearing to justify the recent terrorist attack near Eilat, which left eight Israelis dead. It was later deleted from the blog.

“Whoever the Palestinians were who killed the eight Israelis near Eilat last week, however vile the ideology was, they were justified to attack,” Derfner wrote, according to text from the blog cited Sunday by Jerusalem Post columnist Isi Liebler.

“But while I think the Palestinians have the right to use terrorism against us, I don’t want them to use it, I don’t want to see Israelis killed, and as an Israeli, I would do whatever was necessary to stop a Palestinian, oppressed or not, from killing one of my countrymen,” Derfner wrote in his original post. “What’s needed very badly, however, is for Israelis to realize that the occupation is hurting the Palestinians terribly, that it’s driving them to try to kill us, that we are compelling them to engage in terrorism, that the blood of Israeli victims is ultimately on our hands, and that it’s up to us to stop provoking our own people’s murder by ending the occupation.”

On Friday, Derfner apologized for the post, saying he meant that the Israeli occupation provokes Palestinian terrorism, not that it justifies it.

“Writing that the killing of Israelis was justified and a matter of right took a vile image and attached words of seeming approval to it. This, I’m afraid, produced an ‘obscene’ effect, as one critic wrote. I don’t want to write obscenity about Israel. I didn’t mean to, and I deeply regret it,” Derfner wrote. “I meant, instead, to shock Israelis and friends of Israel into seeing how badly we’re hurting the Palestinians by denying them independence: It’s so bad that it’s helping drive them to try to kill us.”

Apparently, that apology was insufficient. On Monday, he posted a note saying the Jerusalem Post had fired him after receiving hundreds of subscription cancellations.

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“What’s needed very badly, however, is for Israelis to realize that the occupation is hurting the Palestinians terribly, that it’s driving them to try to kill us…”
Really ? How does Derner then justify the terrorism BEFORE ‘67 ?

Comment by Jeff on 8/29/11 at 2:11 pm

It’s certainly best that I never work for any Jewish paper cause I certainly have no intention of sugar-coating my criticism of Jewish life and the ego-maniacal leaders and followers thereof. 

Once again it is OBVIOUS that you would rather you and your children end up in a gas chamber than hear or read words that might force you to get off your fat or scrawny a**es and make some REAL changes.

He was not clear enough that he did not support nor justify terrorism, but was trying to understand it.  This would be the intelligent and probably the only way to defeat it.  Whether I or others agree with Derfner’s analysis is another story.

Comment by theleviteline.com on 8/29/11 at 2:39 pm

To clarify what I am saying, I suspect that Derfner misspoke a bit in saying, “they were justified to attack.”  He probably meant that he, ‘understood their desire to attack.’  That was a big mistake for him to say they were justified.

I don’t live in Israel so I don’t know the situation first-hand.  It seems that many Palestineans are being used as a pawn against Israel, simply because Jews have returned enmasse after all these centuries.

If Jews try to understand Palestinean plight this can only help.  Understanding does not necessarily mean agreement or support, though it allows for such a possiblity.  Hopefully some or many Palestineans will responsd in kind.

Comment by theleviteline.com on 8/29/11 at 2:56 pm

Democracy Now and Amy Goodman are #1 haters of Israel.His statements were prominent on her program.Sometimes I feel that AlJazeera competes with her..You were correct in dismissing him,however I know he will appear again on her Program"Democracy Now” shalom..Numbers 6:23-26..

Comment by edward neidich on 8/29/11 at 5:02 pm

It’s about damn time Derfner was fired. In fact it’s years overdue. Even the ‘apology’ has the Jews hurting Shmalestinians and ‘driving’ them to kill us.

We act, and they are driven. That only works if you concede their right in the first place. Hey, maybe the Shmalestinians are hurting us so badly by denying us recognition and peace that we are justified, we have the right and we are driven to kill them? Well, Doofusner?

leviteline
Naah. Too easy.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/29/11 at 9:32 pm

Derfner should be executed for treason.

Comment by abe on 8/30/11 at 7:57 pm

Now now, abe, let’s not be hasty. Everyone deserves a fair trial. After all, If Moshe Feiglin could be convicted for sedition for trying to prevent the Oslo Accords (and how right he was), how is it different for Derfner to incite Israel’s enemies both domestic and foreign. Derfner is in fact an enem of Israel as you say.

So let’s not forget the fair trial.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/31/11 at 4:37 am

Sounds like this would be a very “fair” trial.  It’s not like the smug know-it-alls (Plonie?) have their teeny little, creepy minds made up already.  Sounds like the trial your a**hole forefathers had for Jesus.  Clearly once again you creepy Orthodox have not learned a lesson.  Of course what is there to learn when you know everything, like God, whom you’re no doubt too smart to believe in.  Besides you’ve got money, your true God, just like THEM.

Clearly Israel needs no other enemies, they have creeps like yourselves.

Comment by theleviteline.com on 8/31/11 at 2:27 pm

Hey, Levitline: Perhaps you didnt KNOW that the Sanhedren did NOT try Jesus ? That he was killed by Ponchus Pilote ? But, in any case, if Jesus DID claim to be Moshiah, I’d have banged the nails in myself.

Comment by Jeff on 8/31/11 at 3:18 pm

Now unlike you Jeffrey, Mr. Know-it-all, I was not alive 2,000 years ago.  However, the story as I understand it, and I don’t have the Bible here with me and if I did I would not be flipping through it.  Number 1- I know it is a waste of time to throw pearls before swine like you.  No. 2- I’m too tired for that. 

From what I recall and I’ve heard one Orthodox rabbi and now you claim that Jesus deserved death for saying He was God/Son of God and now you say if He said that He was the Messiah.  Morons, someone saying thay are something does not make what they say true.  Like you telling me you are brilliant or are a millionaire.

Comment by theleviteline.com on 8/31/11 at 8:09 pm

Seriously, Levite ? An antisemite comes on to a Jewish forum to hate and the best you can do is “4-eyed clones “? “Creeps”? We Jews will be here long after you’re gone. DEAL with it. VERY brave to threaten “when you’re done with us”, from an online forum…wish we COULD meet.

Comment by Jeff on 9/01/11 at 8:00 am

And, Levite, as for freedom of speech, you’re probably the same fool who thinks it’s ok to yell “fire” in a crowded theater, or to libel, or to commit hate speech - Your ignorance is laughable -  are taxes illegal too ?

Comment by Jeff on 9/01/11 at 8:03 am

Nobody is taking away Derfner’s freedom of speech. After all, his post was carried on the Hamas website.

Derfner can speak freely but he will also have to speak for free. Anyone who thinks otherwise would have to be against the Jerusalem Post’s freedom of the press.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 9/03/11 at 11:18 pm

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