On Thursday, Channel 10‘s afternoon magazine, 5 with Rafi Resherf, opened with a story about two Egyptian soldiers that had died the previous night at the hands of drug dealers attempting to infiltrate Israel at the border between the two countries. Channel 10′s reporter at the scene was asked to elaborate on the incident. The reporter elegantlyyada yada‘ed the event explaining that its significance lies in the fact that the border with Egypt is currently Israel’s most dangerous one. The anchorman soon followed suit adding phrases such as “fear of escalation”, “explosive situation”, and “an area that might go off any second”. In recent weeks, the Israeli media has adopted a Seinfeld inspired style of Yada Yada journalism whenever covering stories pertaining to Egypt. Its focus is always on our southern neighbor turning into an unmistakable enemy. The events taking place in Tahrir square suffer the same fate.
 “One million people have taken to the streets yada yada yada the Muslim brotherhood is gaining power. ..The Egyptians are demanding the resignation of all those associated with Mubarak’s regime yada yada yada the Muslim brotherhood is behind these protests”. According to the Israeli press, it’s all about the brotherhood. This trend was highlighted when Boaz Bissmut, the foreign news editor of the” Israel Today” free daily paper, was interviewed on the same Channel 10 magazine show. Bissmut has gained a reputation of a fearless journalist, one ready to sacrifice himself in the name of the truth. Equipped with his French passport and a grenade launcher, this dare devil infiltrates the Arab world jungle bringing exclusive headlines from Tunisia, Egypt and other hotspots. A wannabe Bob Woodward meets Indiana Jones. The editor of the popular rag went to great length to describe the masses at Cairo’s Tahrir square using just one adjective- beards. Lots of beards, as far the eye can see. Like the white hoods of the Klan, this is the mark of the fundamental Muslim brotherhood. Bissmut added that there is one thing in common between the protesters, the military and the brotherhood – the hatred towards Israel.
Sky rockets in flight, afternoon delight. The framing of Channel 10′s magazine show was similar. Forget about the years of oppression, the Mubarak dictatorship or the Egyptian quest for freedom. It’s all about fundamental Islam. This is just another example of the Arab world’s transition into an Islamic fundamentalist super state. Catch phrases such as “Teheran in Cairo” and “collapsing into anarchy” have been smeared as headlines on Israel’s leading papers.
 This is the Israeli version of NBC's The Fear Factor.
The Egyptian marching in the street is not concerned with Israel or the Jewish people; he is too busy fighting for his life. He is, as a Le Monde article describes, preoccupied with matters such as bread, education and sewage and not with Likud party member's ongoing rampage.
It is pure arrogance to portray these protesters as nothing more than pawns in the hands of fundamentalist Islam. An arrogance that characterizes the Israeli press whenever covering the revolts in the Arab world.
For our sake, let us hope that the Egyptians are successful in their struggle for democracy.
The rest is just yada yada.
Ilan Manor,
For more in English visit- http://thetelavivpost.wordpress.com/
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