Working With The Press

I was on tour today with a Swiss journalist.

We went first to the Nachlat Binyamin Visitors' Center to speak with Tamar Asraf, the Regional Council's spokewoman.

Then to Keida for a lookout.

Then to Eli to meet with Naftali Bennet and it tunred out he brought along a film crew from Channel One whowere doing an item on him, so we all got into the picture, literally:

Then we proceeded to Ariel to the University Center to discuss matters with President Dan Myerson and Prof. Alex Bligh. And lunch at the local Cafe-Cafe.

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There Goes Freedom of the Press

Hamas disbands journalists union amid continuing incidents

Reporters Without Borders Thursday condemned Hamas’ decision on 3 September to dissolve the Gaza Strip branch of the Union of Palestinian Journalists, most of whose members are affiliated to Fatah or support it.

At the same time, Hamas has decided to create a Government Committee for the Media. Hamas deputy information minister Abu Hashish said on 3 September that the government would refuse to talk to the union ‘as long as the journalists are incapable of restoring order in it.’ Hamas spokesman Tahir Al Nunu, who heads the new Government Committee for the Media, announced later the same day that the union was being disbanded. This decision comes after widespread criticism of abusive treatment of journalists by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The union, most of whose leaders fled to the West Bank after the Hamas takeover in June, has already been targeted on several occasions by the Hamas paramilitary Executive Force.

Journalese

Is this clear enough?

This is the transcript from Condi Rice's print journalist press conference yesterday.

Notice Glenn's lucid English style, grammar, syntax and sentence structure:

SECRETARY RICE: Glenn, do you want to start?

QUESTION: Yeah. The Palestinians are saying that what they've proposed or what they've raised with you is the idea of some sort of -- while there's the
Olmert-Abbas day-to-day activities track, the idea of having some sort of separate discussion, maybe not necessarily at their level but a lower level -- I don't know what you'd call it, not a back channel but a continuing process of discussion along -- about this political horizon. And you know, they have said this was an idea that you seemed to like and you were going to take it to Olmert and see what he thought of that.

We'll leave Glenn not-quite-identifed, okay?


And here's another press delicacy:-

QUESTION: Are we going to see some sort of statement, an American summation of what --

SECRETARY RICE: Would you like one?

QUESTION: I would love one. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: I'd like to join (inaudible). (Laughter.) We live for those.

SECRETARY RICE: You live for those statements? All right, then I'll try to come out and say something. I promise I'll say something afterwards. I won't come out and say --

QUESTION: How about a three-way press conference?

SECRETARY RICE: Charlie, would you let us organize the meeting? (Laughter.) I know you produce sometimes, but how about letting us do it?

and another:-

QUESTION: Yeah. The Palestinians said that you told them that you were coming back soon. Is that true? Or was that just generic?

SECRETARY RICE: Do you not want to come back?

QUESTION: No, I do. It took me a lot of trouble coming, you know, flying and the airport which --

QUESTION: Well, maybe she'll get her big plane back there. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY RICE: Complaints, complaints.

QUESTION: Actually, it was great (inaudible). (Laughter.)

and just one more:

QUESTION: A noted American diplomat said recently if you tried to negotiate German unification from any period of time until 1990 (inaudible) but the
underlying circumstances were not there.

SECRETARY RICE: Right.

QUESTION: Is it conceivable -- not in any way desirable, but is it conceivable that the underlying circumstances for bringing a final successful end to this conflict and there being a two-state solution which everyone hopes for and wishes for simply aren't there right now and won't be there for the foreseeable future

SECRETARY RICE: It's conceivable. But I don't think we know what the prospects are. Look, some things are less favorable in this environment and some things are more favorable in this environment. I think --

QUESTION: How do you see that?

SECRETARY RICE: Yeah, I think the more favorable side is that you have a broader base of support in the Israeli body politic for a two-state solution than you've ever had before. And that is thanks in large part to Prime Minister Sharon, who is the one that at Herzliya talked about dividing the land and painful compromises. And this was the Likud prime minister who was the father of the settlement movement.