How the Israel lobby plants hysterical stories in the Aussie media

Antony Loewenstein
"One of the few Australian academics to actually publicly challenge Australia’s deep relationship with Israel and America is Scott Burchill. Here’s his latest missive:

"This mysterious story appeared on AM (ABC Radio) on Friday.

"Just dropped out of the blue. Nothing newsworthy about it. In fact the story is mostly nonsense – including accusations that Iran has chemical weapons. Says who? Even the Israeli government doesn’t make such a claim. Almost identical stories have been broadcast before. I suspect the explanation is that the local Israeli lobby is turning up the heat on the ABC again, after critical stories on Mossad’s identity theft fiasco and bad blood between Netanyahu and Obama. It’s a sympathy trip. No reason for its appearance, other than to portray Israeli citizens as helpless victims of the Islamic terrorist scourge.

When you have an empty stomach, this will amuse. It’s the usual apologetics from [Murdoch "journalist" Greg] Sheridan (earning the prize awarded to him by the local Israeli lobby a few years back). Interesting only as an example of when the radical right here considers it is legitimate to be “anti-American”: when a Democrat in the White House gently chides the leader of the holy state.""