This commentary was published in Arab News on 20/12/2010
I have closely followed a whole series of releases by the whistle-blower website, WikiLeaks, containing classified documents and scanned a host of social network sites, newspapers and other publications for the past several weeks.
But nowhere have I found any document that is related to the affairs of the Zionist state.
Why has Tel Aviv been spared by the WikiLeaks website is beyond me. But what is clear is that a vast majority of documents have dealt with matters that concern the US and some Arab countries and personalities. On the face of it, one of the objectives behind the release of such documents seems to be planting seeds of discord between the US and some Arab countries, in particular those that have common interests with the US.
News agencies and newspapers are vying with each other to scream out the WikiLeaks disclosures in a bid to remain at the cutting edge of the information-dissemination firmament. The classified files the website has released and is still releasing in a staggered manner have convulsed politicians and analysts worldwide.
The WikiLeaks website has become so much as a threat to the US in view of its bold disclosures of highly classified documents that embarrass the world's sole superpower no end.
It is illustrative to note that the site has not released even a single document that touches Israel. The questions that pop to the mind are: Why has Tel Aviv been left out or will it figure in future disclosures? Is it because the website was unable to get at confidential data concerning Israel whose powerful lobby controls decision-making in the US? Is it because such documents are in the process of being verified by the officials? Has Israel engineered the release after all? The WikiLeaks founder or any other official connected with the site has not answered these worrying queries so far.
A nonprofit organization founded in 20006, the WikiLeaks website has been buttressed by human rights activists, journalists, IT experts and technicians. The website has been keen on verifying the veracity of the classified information and the reliability of the source before releasing it. The head office of the website is located in Sweden where the law provides immunity to journalists and permits them to withhold the source of information. The website servers are located throughout Europe. The website policy prohibits disclosure of unreliable material and publishes only such documents that have political, diplomatic or historical resonance.
WikiLeaks has won international fame at a fast clip and attracted the attention of leaders and analysts worldwide as it has gathered millions of classified files and released them in installments. Some 1,200 volunteers are working for the website. Chaired by Julian Assange, the website's Australian-born founder, it is supported and advised by well-known public figures.
WikiLeaks has indeed made waves in the field of communications, disgorging a procession of explosive information in the last four years and has become a platform for anti-war and anti-corruption activists worldwide.
The US administration is now after the website, harassing it in whatever way it can. The reason is quite plain: The release of the classified cables has severely dented the image of the US, the steadfast defender of the Jewish state. It is mostly down to the vague policy followed by a former US president and his successor, the incumbent president, particularly with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian question. The policy, as we all know, has been biased in favor of Israel, ignoring justice and fairness for the Palestinian cause.
We hope that WikiLeaks will eventually spill out documents that weaken the current US policy of lending blind support to Israel. But a fair stance on the part of the US does not require the release of damning documents because the Palestinian-Israeli issues are crystal clear to each and everyone. Unfortunately, the Arab stance against such unfair and illogical support to Israel is restricted to “denouncements and condemnations.” Hopefully, things will change for the better if and when WikiLeaks comes out with some startling data on Israel and its wrongdoings.
A few weeks ago, Jennifer Robinson, lawyer of Julian Assange, said the site would likely be slammed with charges of breaching the US Spyware Law, in the US Court of Justice, though the real reason is the release of a vast trove of confidential diplomatic documents.
In fact, such charges would not threaten or intimidate the website founder who has perhaps a lot more to release in the coming days. We are awaiting the release of files that deal with the Zionist entity.
The good thing is that we are living in a global village and no secrets can be withheld or hidden for long thanks to modern technology that ensures incredible speed in the transfer of documents and dissemination of news.
But nowhere have I found any document that is related to the affairs of the Zionist state.
Why has Tel Aviv been spared by the WikiLeaks website is beyond me. But what is clear is that a vast majority of documents have dealt with matters that concern the US and some Arab countries and personalities. On the face of it, one of the objectives behind the release of such documents seems to be planting seeds of discord between the US and some Arab countries, in particular those that have common interests with the US.
News agencies and newspapers are vying with each other to scream out the WikiLeaks disclosures in a bid to remain at the cutting edge of the information-dissemination firmament. The classified files the website has released and is still releasing in a staggered manner have convulsed politicians and analysts worldwide.
The WikiLeaks website has become so much as a threat to the US in view of its bold disclosures of highly classified documents that embarrass the world's sole superpower no end.
It is illustrative to note that the site has not released even a single document that touches Israel. The questions that pop to the mind are: Why has Tel Aviv been left out or will it figure in future disclosures? Is it because the website was unable to get at confidential data concerning Israel whose powerful lobby controls decision-making in the US? Is it because such documents are in the process of being verified by the officials? Has Israel engineered the release after all? The WikiLeaks founder or any other official connected with the site has not answered these worrying queries so far.
A nonprofit organization founded in 20006, the WikiLeaks website has been buttressed by human rights activists, journalists, IT experts and technicians. The website has been keen on verifying the veracity of the classified information and the reliability of the source before releasing it. The head office of the website is located in Sweden where the law provides immunity to journalists and permits them to withhold the source of information. The website servers are located throughout Europe. The website policy prohibits disclosure of unreliable material and publishes only such documents that have political, diplomatic or historical resonance.
WikiLeaks has won international fame at a fast clip and attracted the attention of leaders and analysts worldwide as it has gathered millions of classified files and released them in installments. Some 1,200 volunteers are working for the website. Chaired by Julian Assange, the website's Australian-born founder, it is supported and advised by well-known public figures.
WikiLeaks has indeed made waves in the field of communications, disgorging a procession of explosive information in the last four years and has become a platform for anti-war and anti-corruption activists worldwide.
The US administration is now after the website, harassing it in whatever way it can. The reason is quite plain: The release of the classified cables has severely dented the image of the US, the steadfast defender of the Jewish state. It is mostly down to the vague policy followed by a former US president and his successor, the incumbent president, particularly with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian question. The policy, as we all know, has been biased in favor of Israel, ignoring justice and fairness for the Palestinian cause.
We hope that WikiLeaks will eventually spill out documents that weaken the current US policy of lending blind support to Israel. But a fair stance on the part of the US does not require the release of damning documents because the Palestinian-Israeli issues are crystal clear to each and everyone. Unfortunately, the Arab stance against such unfair and illogical support to Israel is restricted to “denouncements and condemnations.” Hopefully, things will change for the better if and when WikiLeaks comes out with some startling data on Israel and its wrongdoings.
A few weeks ago, Jennifer Robinson, lawyer of Julian Assange, said the site would likely be slammed with charges of breaching the US Spyware Law, in the US Court of Justice, though the real reason is the release of a vast trove of confidential diplomatic documents.
In fact, such charges would not threaten or intimidate the website founder who has perhaps a lot more to release in the coming days. We are awaiting the release of files that deal with the Zionist entity.
The good thing is that we are living in a global village and no secrets can be withheld or hidden for long thanks to modern technology that ensures incredible speed in the transfer of documents and dissemination of news.
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