| ID | 146858 |
| Title Proper | Etrog |
| Other Title Information | the media, the courts and Prime Minister Sharon during the disengagement |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Lord, Amnon |
| Contents | This article describes the protection and favor that the media and the courts extended to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from the moment that he announced the disengagement plan in December 2003 up to and after the withdrawal from Gaza and part of northern Samaria in August 2005. Senior journalist and commentator, Amnon Abramovich pioneered the idea of treating the prime minister like an “etrog” (the citron which is blessed during the Feast of Tabernacles [Sukkoth]) and stored in cotton and gauze. This gentle handling enabled Sharon to carry out the evacuation of settlements and escape criminal investigations. The media thus shifted from reporting and commenting on events to becoming a supporter of the reversal of Sharon’s stated policy by delegitimizing opponents of the disengagement and preventing the public debate. Amnon Lord, currently a columnist of the weekly Makor Rishon and an editor of the Hebrew website, Mida, describes the ‘group-think’ mentality of many Israeli journalists and commentators and discusses the frequently deleterious role of the media in dictating the public agenda. In this process, the media found willing partners in the legal system which harmed democracy in Israel. |
| `In' analytical Note | Jewish Political Studies Review Vol. 27, No.1-2; Spring 2015: p.65-78 |
| Journal Source | Jewish Political Studies Review 2015-03 27, 1-2 |
| Key Words | Media ; Democracy ; Israel ; Prime Minister ; Gaza ; Disengagement ; Ariel Sharon ; Northern Samaria |