Journalist's Novel Idea: 'Let's Defend Israel!'
by Hillel Fendel
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Veteran journalist Yaakov Achimeir, receiving an award for his career accomplishments, called upon his colleagues in the media to make “defending Israel” one of their professional missions.The awards ceremony, held on Sunday evening in Eilat, was sponsored by the Tel Aviv-based Journalists Union, which awarded three journalists for their life achievements: Achimeir, Dan Margalit, and Dov Yudkovsky.
Achimeir, whose career has spanned public radio and television channels, as well as the print media, told the audience:
“We know that our country has been under a strong attack of delegitimization for a number of years. Many around the world wish to undermine the legitimacy of the very existence of the State of Israel... Among the many campaigns that journalists wage – for civil rights, and against incitement, and against any strike at freedom of the press, etc. – and they are all important – can we not add just one more little item to the list to which we can dedicate ourselves, namely, defending the State of Israel in public against all those who vilify Israel. This should definitely be a mission of a news writing force that is patriotic, if you'll excuse me for using a dirty word.”
When the police raided the studios of Arutz-7 several years ago – the nationalist station had never been given a broadcasting license, and was forced to broadcast from offshore – the only mainstream media journalist to protest was Yaakov Achimeir.
Achimeir’s father Abba was a leader of the Revisionist Party, a forerunner of the Likud, and was one of those who were acquitted of the 1933 murder of Chaim Arlosoroff. Yaakov’s brother Yosef was a top aide to former Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir, and even served in the Knesset on behalf of the Likud for a year, just before the 1996 elections.
