Wednesday, March 12, 20:27 During a Channel 2 broadcast on Tuesday, March 11, a clarification and an apology to Chaim Perlman were aired. Perlman was arrested on July 14, 2010 on suspicion of being a serial murderer who stabbed to death four Arabs in Jerusalem in a number of incidents over several months. In the clarification, Channel 2 mentioned that, “During the year 2010, the media publicized news items according to which serious crimes were attributed to Chaim Perlman. That was on the basis of reports received by them [the media] from the investigating authorities. We wish to clarify that until today, and despite the lengthy time that has passed, an no indictment has been filed against Perlman. If it was possible to understand from the news items that Chaim Perlman’s guilt had been proven, that is regrettable.”
Only two weeks ago, Channel 2 was forced to admit in a broadcast about Honenu that, in a show about accusations by Peace Now that Honenu was operating illegally, Amnon Abromovitz of the Ulpan Shishi program had used material from Honenu’s website without authorization and without giving credit. Channel 2 chose to quote out of context isolated sentences from a warning letter Honenu had sent and from a demand for monetary compensation sent to Channel 2 by attorney Nir Tzvi in Honenu’s name. Channel 2 presented these quotes as if they were a response from Honenu about the broadcast, despite the fact that Channel 2 had not requested a response.
Honenu director Shmuel Meidad (Zangi) responded: “For an entire month the police and the media referred to Chaim Perlman as the ‘Jewish Terrorist.’ He was interrogated in the dungeons of the GSS. We at Honenu invested much effort in defending him, and in the end he was released without being charged with a crime. And now, three years later, Channel 2 remembers to air a clarification that an indictment was never filed in Perlman’s case.
“Approximately two weeks ago, Peace Now publicized an announcement stating that we represent ‘Jewish terrorists’ such as Yosef Ben Baruch, who was exonerated of all guilt 10 years ago. After we sent a letter informing Peace Now of our intention to sue, they were forced to apologize and clarify the matter.
“In the same joint campaign, Amnon Abromovitz and Yariv Oppenheimer did not refrain from ranting against us in the Ulpan Shishi program, applying massive illegitimate pressure on a judge (“[she] must decide…!”), unashamedly lying (“…particularly about one who operates illegally”), stealing photographs and a video clip from our website, without asking for a response from us. And in the follow-up broadcast they produced a response in our name without having spoken to us at all.
“These are errors which even beginning rookies in the areas of public relations and the media do not make. They are definitely appropriate for the month of Adar.”
Photo: The supposed clarification from Honenu, screenshot of the Ulpan Shishi program on Channel 2, translation by Honenu:
Text: Honenu “Favor us, Hashem, favor us, for we are fully sated with contempt.” [Quote taken from Honenu’s website “About Us” page.]
Ulpan Shishi
Response from the Honenu non-profit organization
[Honenu is] “a non-profit organization which holds holds a certificate of sound management and has never carried out an illegal act. It should be noted that the photographs and the video clip seen in the report on the destruction of Sagi Keisler’s home were taken from the Internet site operated by Honenu and from the Shomron Settlers’ Council.”