Tikun Olam (blog)

Background

Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein, the blog's creator, is a full-time blogger who describes himself as a "progressive (critical) Zionist" who supports an "Israeli withdrawal to pre-67 borders and an internationally guaranteed peace agreement with the Palestinians". He also created the now-defunct Israel Palestine Forum, a progressive forum dedicated to discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Silverstein was born in New York City in 1952, Silverstein lived in Israel for two years, studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Silverstein has used controversial, racially derogatory language; he referred insultingly to Chloé Valdary, an African-American woman who supports Israel, on his Facebook page: "They finally did it: found a Negro Zionist: Uncle Tom is dancing for joy!"

Early days

At its inception in 2003, the blog did not focus exclusively on Israel; it included articles about the Seattle restaurant scene, world music, and Silverstein's native Hudson Valley. During Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon, Silverstein noticed a spike in the number of visitors, many of them from Israel. After the war, he developed contacts with writers of similar viewpoints, such as Philip Weiss of Mondoweiss and Max Blumenthal.

Reporting

In 2011, Silverstein described his source as a journalist based in Israel.

Shamai Leibowitz

Shamai Leibowitz was an Israeli-American FBI specialist who translated transcripts of wiretaps from Israel's Washington embassy. Silverstein believed Leibowitz was a whistleblower who was protected by U.S. law, but he consulted with security experts who warned him that publishing the documents would put him and Leibowitz at peril. Despite the warnings, he published portions of them.{{cite news |trans-title=Richard Silverstein - The Man Who Knew Too Much

The federal government prosecuted Leibowitz when it discovered what he had done, and Silverstein removed the blog posts related to the information Leibowitz had given him. Leibowitz eventually accepted a plea arrangement that included a 20-month prison term. The New York Times published a front-page account of the story, which included Silverstein's claims that Leibowitz had leaked the documents because of concerns about Israel's aggressive efforts to influence Congress and public opinion, and fears that Israel might strike nuclear facilities in Iran.{{cite news

Leibowitz denied The New York Times report. On his blog, he wrote,

Contrary to what blogger Richard Silverstein told the NYT, my job never entailed listening to wiretaps of embassies, and that whole story was manufactured by Silverstein to promote his blog and his anti-Israel agenda.

Shin Bet and Mossad

Tikun Olam reported on the arrest of prominent Israeli Palestinian political activists Ameer Makhoul and Omar Said by the Shin Bet, who accused them of spying against Israel on behalf of Hezbollah. According to Silverstein, neither detainee was permitted to consult an attorney for several weeks, and Makhoul contends that his alleged confession was extracted under torture. Said pleaded to a reduced charge and went free.{{cite news

In 2010, the blog was reportedly the first to publish the names of the candidates for chief of Mossad and Shin Bet. The blog reported that Yitzhak Ilan was the likely candidate to succeed current Shin Bet director, Yuval Diskin.{{cite news

In 2011, Silverstein was one of the first to report that Gaza civil engineer, Dirar Abu Sisi, had been kidnapped by the Mossad in Ukraine, brought to Israel and imprisoned for allegedly being the mastermind behind Hamas' rocket program. The BBC World Service program, "Assignment", produced a radio documentary on the affair.{{cite web

Anat Kamm–Uri Blau affair

The blog was the first to report that Anat Kamm, a former IDF soldier, was being secretly held by the Shin Bet for leaking secret military documents to Haaretz reporter Uri Blau. The security service had placed news of her arrest under gag so it could not be reported by Israeli media.{{cite news | access-date = June 18, 2010

Prisoner X affair

Silverstein wrote in December 2010 that a prisoner, known as "Prisoner X", was held in extreme secrecy at Ayalon Prison. Silverstein wrote that this person was Iranian general Ali-Reza Asgari, who he asserted had been abducted by Mossad. Silverstein's assertion concerning the prisoner's identity proved wrong. The secret prisoner turned out to be Ben Zygier, an Australian-Israeli former Mossad officer. According to The New York Times, Silverstein then asserted that his source apparently was part of “a ruse designed to throw the media off the scent of the real story.”

The "Bibi’s Secret War Plan" affair

On August 15, 2012, a Tikun Olam blog entry entitled "Bibi’s Secret War Plan" centered around a "scoop"—a document purporting to outline plans for a secret Israeli attack against Iran. Silverstein claimed to have received the "secret" document from an Israel Defense Forces officer to “expose the arguments and plans advanced by the Bibi-Barak two-headed warrior”.

The blog post was picked up by several mainstream media outlets, including the BBC, until Maariv exposed it as plagiarism of an imaginary scenario of an article that had been published several days earlier on the Israeli online forum “Fresh”. It was written by veteran Fresh contributor “Sirpad,” who clearly stated that it was “based on foreign and non-classified sources and on the author’s own imagination.” Silverstein denied having ever visited the website in question, but the website's administrators refuted this in a statement they released on the site, which said Silverstein had a registered account on the site and had made twelve posts there, the last one of which was deleted and resulted in a six-month suspension of his account for publishing classified information.

The Israeli drones affair

In October 2013, Silverstein wrote a series of articles alleging that Israeli drones were being hacked by Iranians. The initial article, about a drone that crashed off the Israeli coast, was reported in other media outlets. A second article explained how a hack caused the crash. In a third article, Silverstein reported on an Israeli-made Azerbaijani drone about which "concerns of successful Iranian penetration were raised". It was later revealed Silverstein's source was an Israeli who intentionally fed Silverstein false information.

Avera Mengistu affair

In October 2014, the blog reported an Israeli Ethiopian was held in Gaza. A month before the gag order was lifted, Avera Mengistu's name was published in the blog. Silverstein speculated the gag order was in place to avoid a solidarity campaign, similar to Gilad Shalit's campaign, which might increase the price Hamas might demand for Mengistu's release.

Other reports

In February 2014, Silverstein published the names of two Israeli arms dealers who, he said, were involved in illicitly exporting military equipment to Iran via Greece.{{cite news

In March 2016, the story of Chaim Shacham, an Israeli diplomat who was suspended amid child abuse allegations, was first reported in Tikun Olam.{{cite news

In September 2017, Silverstein published a secret decision by Israeli Supreme Court, allowing arms exports to Myanmar to continue.{{cite news

Reception

The Jewish Daily Forward reporter Nathan Guttman writes that Silverstein "has become a prime address for Israelis seeking to bypass their country’s censorship or court gag orders... Some praise his work as a courageous effort to tear down walls of secrecy surrounding Israel’s security agencies" while "others accuse him of recklessness motivated by a drive to blemish Israel at all costs."

The pro-Israel group CAMERA characterizes Silverstein as a "radical, anti-Israel blogger who repeatedly defends Hamas while blaming the Israeli government, and who promotes Israel as a single state of all its citizens." Silverstein responded that he believes Israel is a Jewish homeland, that he hopes to see equal rights provided for Jewish and Arab citizens in the country and though he is "agnostic" toward the two-state solution, would ultimately prefer that outcome.

Yossi Melman, a veteran security and intelligence reporter for Haaretz, argues that Silverstein "spreads rumors without checking them" and "is an ideologue, not a journalist." He adds, "[Silverstein] is speculative. It is like at the casino: Sometimes he gets it right, and sometimes he doesn’t." Nonetheless, Melman writes that the blog is important because it exposes the shortcoming of censorship in the age of 21st century technology.{{cite news

According to Der Spiegel, "The blogger who lives in the United States is considered to be very well informed when it comes to Israeli security matters. His blog 'Tikun Olam' regularly exposes stories which cannot be published in Israel due to military censorship."{{cite news | access-date = January 11, 2012}}

According to journalist Richard Spencer, the blog "has a record of revealing information censored inside Israel".{{cite news | access-date = January 2, 2012

Journalist Ehud Yaari describes the blog's credibility and reports as "highly doubtful".{{cite news | access-date = October 13, 2013}}

Guy Lehrer of Israel's Channel 10 news explains that unlike Wikileaks which brings to light new information that their team had gathered, Silverstein reveals information that is already known to a large group of people but cannot be revealed in Israel due to publication bans which may effects censorship decisions. Lehrer adds there are many stories on the blog, some horrifying, but without verification it is hard to say what is true and what isn't.

The French newsmagazine L'Obs said that "Simply mentioning Silverstein's name in an article might precipitate a publication proscription. His case illustrates the lost war of military censorship in the digital era. Faced with social media and the instantaneous transmission of information, the system, designed to function on the basis of a "gentleman's agreement" with a few established publishers, has reached its limits.{{cite news

References

References

1. [[Matthew Kalman]], [http://matthewkalman.blogspot.co.il/2010/09/olmerts-revenge-lifts-israeli-security.html Olmert's Revenge Lifts Israeli Security Veil], [[AOL News]], 21/9/2010
2. [http://www.richardsilverstein.com/about-me/ About], Tikun Olam
3. (30 January 2013). "Richard Silverstein - Tikkun Magazine".
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7. Silverstein, Richard. "Richard Silverstein". Huffington Post.
8. (September 12, 2011). "Influential Seattle blogger inflames left and right alike about Israeli security issues". [[Seattle Times]].
9. "Chloe Valdary: Christian, black, rising star of pro-Israel campus activism". Times of Israel.
10. (June 24, 2013). "Edward Snowden and the Crackdown that Backfired".
11. [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3975751,00.html Makhoul admits to spying for Hezbollah], Ahiya Raved, 10.27.10, YNetnews
12. Ronen, Moshe. (7 June 2011). "Richard Silverstein vs. censorship". [[Ynetnews]].
13. [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/world/middleeast/australian-report-unveils-israels-prisoner-x.html?smid=tw-share Silenced in Israel, Spy Tale Unfolds in Australia], Jodi Rudoren, ''The New York Times'', 02.12.13
14. (August 15, 2012). "Bibi's Secret War Plan".
15. (2012-08-24). "On Silverstein, Responsible media and Ethics in Journalism".
16. "An image comparing Hebrew texts from 2 sources (plagiarism?".
17. (August 18, 2012). "The blogger who fools his readers - and the media". [[Walla!]].
18. (October 17, 2013). "The Iranians are coming". [[Keshet Media Group#mako.
19. (July 9, 2015). "Hamas: Two Israelis in the Gaza Strip lost". [[Die Presse]].
20. (July 9, 2015). "Two Israeli are held in Gaza". Ynet.
21. Nathan Guttman. (13 September 2011). "Blogger Carves Out Niche Baring Israeli Intel Secrets". The Jewish Daily Forward.