Nidra Poller's J'Accuse

Although it certainly comes as no surprise, it seems that the technique of the Big Lie is not dead. Here's still another--and very convincing--debunking of the al-Dura blood libel, the story of the death of a young boy that was instrumental in galvanizing world opinion against the Israelis at the start of the second intifada.

Please read Nidra Poller's J'Accuse and you'll see why mainstream journalism has come close to losing all credibility with many people--and how, in so doing, it has caused untold damage. The evidence points to the probability that the al-Dura case was an outrageous fake, or at the very least, that his death was at the hands of the Palestinians rather than the Israelis. Furthermore, the facts have most likely been known for quite some time to the journalists and the cameraman responsible for the story, which was promulgated originally by the French media.

Follow the "J'Accuse" link to a discussion of the original "J'Accuse" of Emile Zola, who championed the cause of the falsely accused Dreyfus--in France, naturalmente. In his famous article, Zola was using the mighty medium of the press to accuse the French military tribunal, and the military itself, of an outrageous miscarriage of justice against Dreyfus, a Jew. In the al Dura case, the culprit is the worldwide press itself, particularly France-2, a channel of the state-owned French television network.

Here is British journalist and blogger Melanie Phillips on Poller's piece:

...the evidence assembled in this article strongly suggests that France 2 is guilty of one of the most monstrous pieces of deception of modern times whose effects in terms of fomenting hatred, violence and mass murder have been incalculable.

It seems the pen is mightier than the sword, both for ill and for good. Most of what Poller writes is not news, but perhaps her article will make it more widely known.

Then again, perhaps not.

In Zola's case, he was already a huge celebrity, and this helped his "J'Accuse" reach a wide and influential audience. He used his "mighty pen" for good, and he was effective. The following refers to his article:

Written in sparkling and mellifluous prose, imbued with a tone of outrage, the article contains many beautiful sentences and phrases. The most memorable: "la verite est en marche et rien ne l'arretera" (truth is on the march and nothing can stop it).

In my more optimistic moments, I believe that this may be true today: truth is on the march and nothing can stop it.

In my more pessimistic moments, I'm with Churchill: A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.

So, as always, we have lies and truth in a worldwide race. Which will win? Our lives may depend upon the answer.

[ADDENDUM: Michelle Malkin is on the case.]