Follow on TwitterWATCH: ADL’s Abe Foxman Exposed In Television Interview
Ha’aretz writer David Sheen interviews the Anti-Defamation League’s Abe Foxman in this 53 minute video clip (h/t Max Blumenthal), and Foxman literally flips his wig over what would seem to be softball questions.
Sheen asks the ADL’s National Director about many topics, including: his bestowing Rupert Murdoch with the ADL Award, his denunciation of PETA, his condemnation of the proposed Islamic community center in downtown Manhattan, his recent blacklisting of human rights groups (proclaiming them to be anti-Israel), his position on Breaking the Silence (a group of Israeli soldiers who came forward and admitted to needlessly destroying homes, firing white phosphorous into populated areas in Gaza, amongst other war crimes); on why Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak is allowed to compare Israel to an Apartheid state, yet ADL proclaims others who make the comparison to be anti-semitic, his position on the BDS movement, and many more.
Sheen poses each of his questions in a very conscientious, non-combative way giving Foxman the full floor to explain (if not clarify) himself to viewers who perhaps can’t comprehend ADL’s inconsistent, often incoherent, positions. But Foxman — obviously unable to logically defend them himself — goes nuts, cutting the interviewer off repeatedly, accusing him of being selective in his questioning, and of trying to do a hit-job on him. An ironic accusation, coming from Abe Foxman.
At one point, Sheen asked Foxman how he and ADL’s board formulates its positions, and Foxman quips, “That’s not your business! … It’s not your business how we do this.”
Considering how Abe Foxman has made a highly rewarding career for himself by tarnishing the reputations of honorable, peace-loving, human-rights activists, I’d say it is everyone’s business how ADL formulates its positions.
Meanwhile, Abe Foxman’s vitriolic screeds continue to get top placement at the Huffington Post. Here is his latest post — released just yesterday — lashing out at Jimmy Carter, once again; this time for calling Gaza a ‘prison’. Why Arianna continues to give this uber-neo-con a platform to demagogue honorable Progressives who sympathize with the plight of the Palestinian people is beyond me. Perhaps even the Left needs its own ‘Glenn Beck’ equivalent to help fuel the traffic…
Here’s the David Sheen interview.
ENJOY:
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/16180538[/vimeo]
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Dear Mr. Blumenthal,
I am usually impressed with your level of insightful comment. However, in this case I am embarrassed to have recommended this interview without having watched it (me culpa).
David Sheen is quite possibly the worst interviewer I have ever seen: pusillanimous, evasive, indirect, and largely meandering. Foxman comes across as direct and forceful, albeit abrasive and impatient. He wins the propaganda war any day. It is largely ineffective and embarrassing interview, primarily for Sheen.
Foxman comes across as usual–he was no different with Fresh Air’s Terry Gross, an excellent interviewer. However, she came across as not letting Foxman off the hook. Sheen, regardless of his talents, comes across as smarmy yet intimidated.
An excellent opportunity was lost for the Israeli left.