Journalist Michael Kinsley once famously defined a gaffe as an instance “when a politician tells the truth–some obvious truth he isn’t supposed to say.” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s recent reference to the “occupied territories” would certainly qualify; the supposedly straight-shooting Republican’s quick apology shows that you’re not supposed to say certain things.
At March 29 event sponsored by Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, Christie said this in describing a recent visit to Israel:
I took a helicopter ride from the Occupied Territories across and just felt personally how extraordinary that was to understand, the military risk that Israel faces every day.
By many media accounts, the crowd was stunned. After hearing from some of those in attendance, Christie apparently apologized personally to Adelson (Politico, 3/29/14).
But a media that bolstered Christie’s image as a tough-talking truth teller sure didn’t seem interested in his bizarre walkback.
In reality, the West Bank remains under Israeli occupation; though the term is not used all that often in the media anymore (Extra!, 1/01), it is perfectly correct to refer to the Occupied Territories. But the media reaction to the whole thing is downright bizarre–as if Christie had uttered a forbidden phrase. A Los Angeles Times story by Maeve Reston (3/29/14) put it like this:
Christie’s mention of a helicopter flight over “occupied territories” –terminology used by Israel’s critics –during his trip to Israel sent murmurs and whispers of surprise through the conservative audience.
Chris Christie
But calling the West Bank occupied isn’t “terminology used by Israel’s critics”–it is a totally factual way of describing reality. As Annie Robbins of Mondoweiss (3/30/14) pointed out, the US State Department calls the West Bank occupied. As does the American Jewish Committee (6/6/12), even when it’s criticizing boycott campaigns against Israel.
Some of the other media reactions were less about the facts and more about the PR. Fox News Sunday (3/30/14) viewers saw this bizarre exchange between host Chris Wallace and Ron Fournier of National Journal:
FOURNIER: We saw a big mistake yesterday. If he was just focused on running for president, would he have talked about the occupied territories in a pro-Israel group like he did yesterday?…
WALLACE: He was in Las Vegas meeting with Sheldon Adelson and a number of other big Jewish contributors and at one point he talked about flying over the Occupied Territories, which implies that Israel is occupying parts of the West Bank or Gaza.
FOURNIER: It doesn’t imply–it says that.
WALLACE: Yeah, right. And that is not something that a lot of Jews like.
It’s not clear where Wallace gets the idea that most Jewish Americans reject the term “Occupied Territory”; 61 percent of Jews say they believe a Palestinian state could exist peacefully alongside Israel (Pew, 10/1/13), which suggests that most don’t see Israel holding the territories permanently.
On CNN‘s State of the Union (3/30/14), former Obama deputy press secretary Bill Burton and host Candy Crowley broke it down this way:
BURTON: If you look at what happened in Las Vegas where he referred to Palestine as Occupied Territories, I mean, that’s the sort of thing that shows that he’s not on top of his game like you need to be when you’re a presidential candidate.
CROWLEY: Right, but he’s not in a presidential…. I mean, they are all going to make really stupid mistakes, which that was one.
So a CNN journalist thinks using an accurate description of the West Bank is “really stupid”?
And on CBS‘s Face the Nation (3/30/14), PBS host Gwen Ifill had this take:
He immediately goes to the Republican Jewish Coalition and talks tough, and then says something about Occupied Territories, which kind of gets him in trouble. But that has always been his stock in trade: “I am the tough talker, I’m going to tell you the truth.”
To the extent that something interesting happened here, it’s not that Christie said something that upset “a lot of Jews” or that he “got in trouble.” Contrary to Ifill’s analysis, Christie apologized for telling the truth.
The episode tells you something about the power of GOP donors like Adelson to get a politician to apologize for saying something true, and it might suggest that the media-manufactured image of Chris Christie might not have much to do with reality. Neither of those conclusions seem particularly popular with the media.
Though it may not have been a Tea Party function
There appears to be no dearth of Mad Hatters and March Hares
No wonder Americans have such an infantile understanding of Palestine — they’re not allowed to talk about it.
Yes, we have come that point in history, when The Lords and Masters do not like anyone speaking truth to power.
The Revolution will be Televised and it will have 20 corporate sponsors.
Crisco melted that the can of lard that he is, for a handful of dollars. What a sell out the walking, talking traffic cone is.
“Flanked by Israeli bodyguards, Adelson grilled the American hopefuls. And what was he demanding from the future president of the United States? First of all and above everything else, blind and unconditional obedience to the government of another state: Israel.
Adelson is one of the richest Jews in the world. He is also a fanatical rightist – not only an American rightist, but also an Israeli one.—Uri Avneri, CP, 4-4-2014
The basic problem is that the American political process is totally corrupt. There is no other way to put it.” Ibid. Uri lives in Israel.
Occupied…..Buffer zone……war trophy…….greater Israel…… call it what you will.Word games.Israel was attacked hard and often from those areas.She pushed her attackers out.Returned the land ,and were promptly attacked(and invaded) again.”Fool me once…”is the game.Now she has been slow to be fooled again.The world bleats “damn you Jews;you must give up that land so your safety can once again be threatened.”Amazing how slow they are to fall back into that trap.It’s almost like they have one or two brain cells firing,
Oh, michael e. :
You need to read up on Nakba. It happened in 1948 and some Jewish settlers, and probably the Israeli army, ran the Palestinians off of the Palestinian land and killed many. So, of course, Palestinian people ran away ; that happens when people are being shot . When the Palestinians tried to return to their homes, they were told that that had abandoned them. That wasn’t true, but it is true that settlers steal more and more Palestinian land on a daily basis, using guns and bulldozers too.
“Occupied territories” is a real and factual term.This is why BDS exists and why people, like Desmond Tutu, speak out against apartheid ( and he should know, being from South Africa!)
I wish people would take the tiime to read up on this, because, you know, as wonderful as Anne Frank’s writings are, there are undoubtedly thousands of Palestinian girls who feel just like her. Life on the UNkind Planet can be very cruel, when so many irresponsible adults are roaming about…everywhere!
Note to Michael e. Someone comes and takes your land and uses any and all means to make you and your culture disappear, you bet you’ll resist them in any way you can. Use your logic: The occupiers are not the victims, the victims are those whose land was taken and is being occupied.
@Michael e
You are either a troll or very ignorant of the Israeli/Palestinian situation.
There is plenty of information on the subject.Get informed and join the rest of the world in condemning the atrocities by the Israeli government on the Palestinian people.Time is running out for this Israeli nation to do the right thing . BDS will bring them to their knees if they don’t change their act soon.
Well to those who wrote to me on this subject I will say this.80% of so called Palestinian land is in the hands of Arab countries.They will never return any of it.Yet you give these people a pass to attack their “occupiers” who sit on less than 12% while giving a pass to the countries who own the majority.And the attacks against Israel were never to re conquer that 13%.It was to drive the jews into the ocean.So that premise in nonsense.And the Jews alone among the rest actually gave those lands back at different times.Always to be used as launching pads for jewish destruction.So what you are telling me is they should return the land.Expect attacks.And understand they deserve it.Ok check please.Glorianna I know people suffer.Arafat and his ilk could of had so much more if they would have moved peacefully all those years.They are as much the fault of their peoples suffering as any Israeli boot.Unlike some here I have spent time there.Immersed in the life.People dont realize that prior to Israel only a couple thousand nomads lived there.A desert.Without life.Today millions of Arabs lve in greater Israel.Mostly in peace.And Israel is so small you can fly across it at points in minutes.These people who have lived there side by side with Arabs for 4 thousand years…..what would you have then do to the desert they made bloom.Leave, and return it to sand and 10,000 nomads.
The truth is that most of Palestine IS occupied territory. Oh, wait, this is ‘Merikkka in 2014 and telling the truth is not politically correct. Well, I stand for truth, they ARE occupied territories.
Bear47 I agree.13% is occupied by Israel,and the rest by her Arab neighbors.Israel in the past has returned most of the contested lands and promptly been invadaed and attacked from those lands.So they are gun shy to do so again.Here is my solution.Let the Arabs lead the way and return the 87% they hold and we shall all watch and see if they are attacked from those places.If not……maybe the Israelis after a firm peace agreement with the palestinians will feel better about it ….AGAIN!!!!