Swede who reported on 'IDF organ trafficking' coming to Israel

[bemildred]

Swedish journalist Donald Bostrom, who in August accused Israel Defense Forces soldiers of harvesting organs from Palestinians, is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Saturday.

Bostrom will be a guest of the Dimona Media Conference, which will take place on Monday. Although no specific threats were received, Bostrom will be accompanied by a bodyguard throughout his stay, and the conference will make special security arrangements to prepare for potential protests.

Organizers said Bostrom is expected to visit Israeli towns in the vicinity of Gaza and other local conflict areas.

In his article, Bostrom attempted to tie Jewish criminals who trafficked in organs in New Jersey to Palestinian claims that Israel had removed organs from Palestinians killed by IDF soldiers.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1124776.html

[oberliner]

1. Why don't you link to the Ha'aretz home page?

Is this article really truly worth discussing here?

[bemildred]

2. There is no requirement that anyone discuss it.

But if anyone chooses to discuss it, one may assume they think it is worth it, and otherwise not.

I didn't really think it would elicit much discussion, it's just "interesting" and a bit strange. I wondered why Israel let him in for example, and what it was thought that he would contribute to the Dimona Media Conference, sufficient to justify extending him the invitation.

Linking the Haaretz front page would be against I/P guidelines.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. Are you okay?

This thing yr doing where yr scurrying around a bunch of threads asking what they've got to do with the I/P conflict or if they're really worth discussing is kind of silly, imo. Maybe yr just trying to be annoying, but is there any reason you can't take up this issue you've got with what articles are being posted in this forum with the mods?

And I truly don't understand why Bemildred didn't link to the sports pages in Ha'aretz instead of sending everyone astray by posting a direct link to the article just the way everyone who starts a new thread in this forum does! ;)

[bemildred]

4. I think that was a obfuscated criticism of my selection of items to post.

The "link the front page" thing I mean. It does not really require a response.

[oberliner]

8. It was just a joke

It appeared that you had posted almost every article from the Ha'aretz home page today on to DU.

I agree that the barb was not worth responding to, yet the fact that it has more responses than many actual substantive posts is illuminating!

[Violet_Crumble]

9. Aren't jokes supposed to be funny?

Also, why do you find how many responses you got to be 'illuminating'? You really need to stop worrying so much about who's posting what where and try to get into substantive discussions, maybe by trying to answer some of the questions I've asked you in other threads recently...

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cali]

21. Violet, I rarely post to you

and you know that. And when I do, it's generally a pleasantry or in agreement. Please don't twist things.

[bemildred]

14. And you the instigator of the discussion about it too.

What is "interesting" is that you find it necessary to discuss what you say is not worth discussing. If you really find it not worth disussing, I suggest you stop discussing it.

[oberliner]

15. I just made the little joke (or unhumorous observation)

That could have been the end of it.

However, what I did find fascinating (and possibly worth discussing further) is the fact that my banal comment received a fair number of responses while other much more pertinent and though-provoking (in my opinion) comments in other threads received far fewer or no responses.

This is, perhaps, illustrative of the way this forum sometimes operates.

As another poster pointed out on another thread, it seems that we've had all the "big" I/P discussions so many times as to render that whole exercise somewhat futile.

[bemildred]

16. Here, let me just kick this important story one more time.

:kick:

[Violet_Crumble]

19. If yr so bothered about what other people are posting in response to yr 'banal comment'...

...why don't you take the lead in trying to improve things by responding to some of the questions I asked you in recent threads? I found it rather telling of the unwillingness of some to engage in actual discussion when you responded to one of my posts very recentlyt, not with anything of substance that responded to what I'd said, but some petty nonsense about grammar. It's just a suggestion, but when people see something being done they don't like, it's always best before speaking up to make sure they're not doing it themselves...

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Here is something really truly worth discussing here

Matzah Ball Soup

Also known as Jewish penicillin. Matzah balls are more traditionally known as knaydelach (Yiddish for dumplings). Matzah ball soup is generally a very thin chicken broth with two or three ping-pong-ball sized matzah balls (or sometimes one very large matzah ball) in it. Sometimes, a few large pieces of carrot or celery are added. Matzah balls can be very soft and light or firm and heavy. A friend of mine describes the two types as "floaters and sinkers." Matzah ball soup is commonly served at the Passover seder, but is also eaten all year round.

Below is my recipe for matzah ball soup. The parsley in the matzah balls is not traditional, but I like it that way.

1/2 cup matzah meal
2 eggs
2 tbsp. oil or schmaltz (melted chicken fat)
2 tbsp. water or chicken broth
2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
a little black pepper
2 quarts thin chicken broth or consommé
A handful of baby carrots or regular carrots cut into large chunks (optional)
a few stalks of celery cut into large chunks (optional)

Beat the eggs, oil and water together thoroughly. Add the matzah meal, parsley and black pepper and mix until you achieve an even consistency. Let this sit for a few minutes, so the matzah meal absorbs the other ingredients, and stir again.

Bring the broth to a vigorous boil, then reduce the heat until the broth is just barely boiling. Add the vegetables to the broth (if used). Wet your hands and make balls of about 1-2 tbsp. of the batter. Drop the balls gently into the boiling water. They will be cooked enough to eat in about 15 minutes; however, you may want to leave it simmering longer to absorb more of the chicken broth flavor. They are done when they float on top of the broth and look bloated.

For lighter matzah balls, use a little less oil, a little more water, and cook at a lower temperature for a longer time. For heavier matzah balls, do the reverse. If you are using this to treat a cold, put extra black pepper into the broth (pepper clears the sinuses).

http://www.jewfaq.org/food.htm#Soup

[azurnoir]

10. hey if you threw in

some chopped tomatoes preferably fresh roma(high in vit c) and some chopped cooked chicken (high in zinc) we might really be on to something

[ConsAreLiars]

7. You've really had far too much Kool-Aid.

Linking directly to an article instead of the home page is now something to complain about? You've set a new low for the deniers.

[azurnoir]

11. So Israel will actually allow this guy in?

I'll be sure to look for follow up on Monday

[bemildred]

12. Yeah, what is up with that?

That's why I posted it. Next they will be inviting David Irving to academic conferences on the history of WWII.

[LeftishBrit]

18. Quite weird

On the one hand the government is so upset with Sweden for not intervening; on the other hand they're allowing him in themselves. I appreciate free speech, but on the other hand I'm not quite sure what this particular twerp has got to offer anyone! Unless Israeli farmers are suffering from a shortage of fertilizer....

[Violet_Crumble]

20. Maybe it's been an oversight when they've issued his visa...

I'm assuming he'd need to apply for a visa coz he's there for work purposes, but I might be wrong. Maybe they just haven't noticed who he was when they approved the visa? I do agree with you guys that it seems really weird considering the way they attacked the Swedish government for what he wrote...

[bemildred]

22. Rightists confront 'IDF organ trafficking' reporter at Israel airport

Dozens of right-wing activists on Sunday confronted a Swedish journalist who accused Israeli soldiers of harvesting organs from Palestinians, shouting at him upon his arrival in Israel at Ben Gurion airport.

The rightists waved banners bearing slogans against Donald Bostrom, who will be a guest of the Dimona Media Conference on Monday, and called for him to be expelled from Israel.

In his article, which was published in August, Bostrom attempted to tie Jewish criminals who trafficked in organs in New Jersey to Palestinian claims that Israel had removed organs from Palestinians killed by IDF soldiers.

Bostrom will be interviewed at the conference on Monday by the anchor of Channel 2's Friday night news show, Yair Lapid.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1125044.html

[pelsar]

23. hes simply trying to cut out the "middle guy"...

if he can get the organs directly from the field, he'll probably save a fortune in transportation, and all of the other fees in the business....thats the real reason why he came to israel. More so all that free publicity will probably boost his organ business up by 100s of percent.

[bemildred]

24. Swede reporter: Not every criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism

---

Are you sorry about anything?

"I'm sorry there are so many lies about me. Like for example that they say I wrote that the soldiers hunted for youths so as to take their organs. It's obvious that's a lie. Even the Palestinians don't make a claim like that. And the other side attributes anti-Semitism to me. I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry I've become a political tool. I'm sorry the article caused damage to the struggle for human rights here. And above all, I'm sorry that no one took the article seriously and that they did not examine the suspicions. In Sweden too they didn't take it seriously."

Would you write it differently now?

"If I were writing it again, I would stress that the IDF liquidates so many youths without a trial and that they take bodies and conduct autopsies on them without the permission of the families. My article created confusion and was incorrectly interpreted. I admire your democratic courage to invite me to explain myself here."

---

So why did you publish baseless accusations?

"I think the article led to good things and bad things, but now it is on the table. Israeli journalists must investigate. You have done good things in the past. Haaretz gives better coverage of the conflict than the Swedish papers, so go on investigating this. There are a lot of question marks."

Are you anti-Semitic?

"Of course not. I am sad. I am angry that my article has been used for political purposes. Not every criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism. Like all the Swedes, I support Israel's right to exist, but I want a more just Israel. We have a tradition in Sweden of standing by international law and when you violate it, it arouses anger. Take this article seriously. The Palestinian families are entitled to know what happened to their loved ones. I am talking about compassion and human rights."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1125236.html

[pelsar]

25. my take on his response.....

that he's patronizing......

on one hand the israeli people (IDF) " liquidates" Palestinians....and on the other hand he "admires the democratic courage"...... and then hes angry that the article is used for "political purposes.".

at best, he has no idea of what the culture of israel is, he makes the classic mistake of assuming that the IDF has no or little connection to the israeli people by assuming that by using the term "liquidation" the "good" israelis wont take notice and not be insulted since its directed at the IDF.

like many, he doesn't quite get it that the vast majority of those "good" israelis have connections to the IDF...sons, daughters, fathers, cousins, neighbors, lovers, grandfathers etc.....and its those same people that invited him.

insulting people may get their attention, but not much in terms of cooperation.

[bemildred]

26. I'm mostly taken with the incompatible world-views in evidence.

You and him for example. I doubt that he even considers that the discussion is about Israeli culture, and he seems to feel insulted himself.

[pelsar]

27. and with that we have concise view of the conflict...

nobody has any idea what the other one is talking about and what it means to everyone else.....we're all talking past each other....too many cultures involved

[bemildred]

28. Why I'm still a proud West Bank settler

Try this one ...

I am a proud settler. Yes, even today, when one of us has been accused of the unimaginable, the immoral and the unbelievable; even today I am proud to be a settler.

Why? Because I am one of 300,000-plus people, most of whom are better people than anything I can find on the other side of the Green Line. Most are the salt of the earth, while Tel Aviv residents suffer from the serious illness of egocentrism in comparison.

But there is a big problem. You certainly expected me to write about the bad apples. No. Every society has those. I don't have a problem with them, as a settler. I have a problem with the police who don't catch them quickly enough and thereby besmirch me, and all of us.

"When will they understand that these extremists are not good for them?" I regularly hear such statements. Sometimes they are said antagonisticly, and sometimes with a true feeling of compassion.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1125242.html

[pelsar]

29. perfect example....

so its the TA people that are the egocentric and the settlers are nothing more than simple 'salt of the earth types"......

so many different planets in such a small area........

[bemildred]

30. Well the thing is, the thing that keeps me interested,

is wondering if any of them are right, correct in their view? It seems patent that at most one of them could be right in that sense, since they disagree so clearly, and it is certainly possible, even likely, that they are all more or less wrong, wrong on the facts, wrong on their choices about what to worry over, wrong in a thousand different ways. Only the course of events offers any answer to that question, so I keep watching, sometimes I get what I think are clues.

[bemildred]

31. 'I have no proof the IDF harvests Palestinians' organs'

A Swedish journalist who caused outrage in Israel with allegations that Israel Defense Forces soldiers harvested organs of dead Palestinians and trafficked in them defended his article on Monday to a largely hostile audience in Dimona.

Speaking at a media conference, where he was frequently interrupted by hecklers, Donald Bostrom admitted he had no proof beyond the allegations of the families of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army.

Bostrom wrote at article in Sweden's Aftonbladet tabloid in August citing Palestinians who accused the IDF of harvesting the organs of killed Palestinians and selling them. His interviewer, Israeli television presenter Yair Lapid, questioned Bostrom's journalistic ethics and accused him of being an anti-Semite "because you are willing to believe the Israeli government would take part in such atrocities."

Bostrom said, "In Sweden, like myself ... we strongly support Israel's right to exist in peace. If you violate the rules ... we have a tradition to criticize."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1125352.html

[Violet_Crumble]

32. I thought the family of a Palestinian had spoken up and said they'd never accused the IDF of that...

I remember reading about it back when this was initially going on, and unless there are other families who are making that claim, it kind of looks a bit of pushing the blame elsewhere...

[bemildred]

33. I think we kissed rational discussion off some time ago,

We are having far too much fun wallowing in emotional excess. "Organ harvesting". Whoa, there are so many places you can go with that.

[pelsar]

34. he was rather humorous....

i saw part of the interview on TV last night...the obvious line was the:

the fact was that Palestinian families had made the claims, not that the claims themselves were true. and he said it with all ernest....as if a claim creates a fact.

___

reminds me of the defense of the katushyas.....accurate enough to aim...not accurate enough to hit what was aimed at......

gotta love the play on words to excuse pathetic accusations, still cant figure out how such claims lead toward peace, assuming that is the long term goal (perhaps my assumption is wrong)

[bemildred]

35. Swedish reporter repeats IDF organ theft allegations, this time in Israel

Donald Boström, the Swedish reporter who sparked a diplomatic furor by claiming Israel was harvesting the organs of dead Palestinians, has repeated his allegations, this time while on a visit to Israel, and after he told Haaretz and a conference in Dimona that he had no proof beyond the allegations of the families of the Palestinians involved.

"There are two things going on in Israel. One is illegal organ trafficking. They sell organs from here, hence the link to New Jersey. They buy organs from here from poor Israelis - so says the professor who performs this - CNN says it's poor Arabs, and yes, it has been proven," Boström said Tuesday in a Swedish radio broadcast from the Dimona conference.

"The second thing going on in parallel is organ theft ... from half-living or dead bodies. This is a known fact in Israel. This has been investigated many times in Israel ... They have investigated Israeli families' accusations of organ theft and those of British families, but the Palestinan families' claims of organ theft have not been investigated and that is what my article says, nothing else. This has to be investigated. And it is a relevant question to ask. Haaretz writes it today: This is a relevant question."

Meanwhile, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, which in August published Boström's original article on the alleged organ theft, also published a piece (http://www.aftonbladet.se/kultur/article6047398.ab) Sunday saying that the newspaper had been in touch with "a woman in Geneva whom, together with a lawyer, is preparing a letter to the UN concerning 15 illegally autopsied Palestinians, of whom eight have been proven to have missing organs - as late as in 2008."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1125595.html

[azurnoir]

36. well ya gotta give Bostrom credit for having if nothing else

the cojones to stick his story, I guess this might not over yet

[bemildred]

37. Not sure "credit" is the right word, but yeah.

Story seems to have legs, more than I thought when the whole fuss started.