This is a true story. All the facts in it are based on open sources that can be verified. I added some of my own conclusions, but in a very prudence manner. I hope that it will help you see that there is no need for all kinds of exotic conspiracies or satanic rituals to be involved, in order to explain how the rich and powerful can manipulate us. The way they can do it is much more simple. Why? Because we let them.
I am going to break down the story for you so that you can “eat it in small bites”, because this story revolves around Israeli politics and the Israeli media, and if you are not Israeli, it might be a little hard for you to follow through. So let me begin by introducing you to a strange media phenomenon, called, “Yisrael Ha'Yom”.
If you take an issue of “Yisrael Ha’Yom” (Hebrew for “Israel today”) and examine it, you’d surely think that it’s a newspaper. It’s a color tabloid, with news headlines in the front page. It has articles and an editorial column, a sports section and a gossip column in the rear page. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck, isn't it?
But “Yisrael Ha'Yom” is not really a newspaper. In spite of the great similarity to one, what “Yisrael Ha'Yom” really is, is an instrument of its publisher, the Jewish American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, that helps him to meddle with Israeli politics.
“Yisrael Ha'Yom”, is mostly distributed for free. You can pick a copy at railway stations and gas stations, or from people, usually pensioners, who stand in major junctions in Israeli cities. Another option is to get it delivered to your home for a very low fee. Much lower of the subscription price of other Israeli newspapers. For several years now, “Yisrael Ha'Yom” is the most read daily tabloid in Israel.
At the time in which Adelson's tabloid started appearing, in 2007, Ehud Olmert was the Israeli Prime Minister, after he won the 2006 elections as the head of the “Kadima” party. The “Kadima” party was established by the late Ariel Sharon, a former hardline IDF general who broke out of the right wing “Likud” party. Sharon’s political “big bang” move was accepted with so much support by the Israeli public, that “Kadima” won the 2006 elections by a great margin, in spite of the fact that Sharon who suffered a severe stroke from which he never recovered, was replaced by the much less popular Olmert.
But Olmert quickly eroded the credit that was given to him by the Israeli public. His term as prime minister was underlined by military fiascos, and by allegations about his involvement in corruption. Olmert is now in prison after being found guilty of some of these allegations. Since it started appearing “Yisrael Ha'Yom” was a major voice against Olmert. Was that because of Olmert's incompetency as prime minister or because he was corrupt? Probably not.
It is much more likely that the reason Sheldon Adelson, suddenly felt an urge to start a Hebrew tabloid, was Olmert's government attempts to reach an agreement with the Palestinians. During a peace conference that was held in Annapolis, Maryland, Olmert made some generous offers to the PA president, Mahmud Abbas, which made Adelson and other members of the Jewish conservative community in the US, quite dismayed of him.
At that time, when the allegations against Olmert were still not substantiated, “Yisrael Ha'Yom”, was not completely like a newspaper. It appeared only on weekdays and did not have any ads or classifieds. But gradually it attracted more and more readers and as a result of that, some high prestige Israeli journalists and column writers, including some who are clearly identified with the left side of the Israeli political map, decided to hop on the new tabloid's wagon.
Adelson, being the cunning businessman that he is, immediately saw the opportunity. Adelson made his fortune in the gambling business, and he knows how to play the game. You give your customers one round for free, you make them feel like they are winning and then they are yours forever, and the house always wins.
The most notable journalist, that Adelson caught in his web, was Dan Margalit, a seasoned Israeli media figure who is very important for this story, so the next chapter will be dedicated to him
(Source of image: Wikipedia)