Several weeks back, Israel was rocked by a night of right-wing race-riots targeting African refugees in Tel Aviv. The thuggery was frightening – refugees were attacked, African-owned businesses and stores were vandalized and a community was forced to hunker down behind closed doors in fear for their lives.
The story received very little
coverage in the United States. Worse, some outlets that did report on
the riots advanced the rioters' narrative that African refugees were
responsible for a massive wave of street violence, despite the fact that
crime statistics don't bear out the claim.
Recently,
Middle East analyst MJ Rosenberg appeared on the AlterNet Radio Hour to
discuss the Tel Aviv riots, the stand-off over Iran's nuclear program
and how the Israel lobby helps narrow the discourse around Israel in the
United States. Below is a lightly edited transcript of the discussion
(you can listen to the whole interview here)
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