ISRAELI HERO PLACES NATIONAL FLAG ON GEORGIAN MOUNTAIN PEAK

Nadav Ben Yehuda conquers Georgian peak, plants president's flag on summit just months after giving up Everest quest to save Turkish climber

Noam (Dabul) Dvir

Published:  9-12-12 9:21 / Israel News

Israeli mountaineer Nadav Ben Yehuda, who rescued a Turkish climber who collapsed near the peak of Mount Everest in May, and in doing so gave up his quest to become the youngest person to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, climbed up the Kazbek Mountain in Eastern Georgia this week, and placed an Israeli flag given to him by President Shimon Peres.

Ben Yehuda, who recently received the Presidential Medal of Honor from Peres for 2012, scaled the 5,042 meter (16,542 feet) mountain, while still suffering from injuries to his right hand that he had sustained during his ordeal on Everest.

"During the first two nights, it was extremely cold and I still had a lot of pain in my hand," Ben Yehuda said, adding that "eventually, I managed to find ways to keep my hand warm."

"It wasn't a pleasant sight to see my fingers turning blue. I was constantly prepared to head back down if things became too tough," he said.

                                  Ben Yehuda at Georgian peak (Photo: Anna Godjebizda)

 

"I was very tense throughout the entire climb. When I showed other climbers photos of my injured hand from two months ago, they had a hard time believing I was dealing with the climb so well. My climbing partners were very supportive and helAfter planting the flag at the summit, Ben Yehuda s Everest.

"Placing the flag at the peak of the mountain symbolized my gratitude to the entire medical staff that took care of me, my family, my friends, President Peres and anyone else who has supported me along the way."

When reaching the summit, Ben Yehuda said that he had met a group of Turkish soldiers who were there as part of an international force. The soldiers called him by name and hugged him for saving a fellow Turkish citizen.

Peres said that he was proud of Ben Yehuda and proud of the strength of his spirit, his dedication and his love for the country. "I wish him a happy and healthy new year and the ability to conquer new heights."

A MUST SEE ROSH HASHANA SONG

 

THE BOMBING OF ISRAEL

September 10, 2012 12:28 by Simon Plosker

“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

 

 

This philosophical question could well be applied to the media’s treatment, or lack of, concerning the latest barrage of rockets to be launched from Gaza at Israeli population centers.

Over the weekend:

Three Grad rockets exploded in southern Israel Saturday night and early Sunday morning, prompting Beersheba and Ashdod mayors to shut down the local school systems on Sunday.

Three people were hurt while running for shelter and four were treated for shock. A Netivot home sustained extensive damage but, remarkably, a resident, alone at home at the time of the hit, was left unhurt.

But unless you are Israeli or follow the Israeli press, the likelihood that you have heard of the weekend’s events is close to nil. Despite the international media being around to hear the tree falling in the forest, it still made no sound as none of the major media outlets bothered to report on it.

Not the New York Times, which preferred to focus in great detail on Gaza’s poverty, omitting any mention of rocket fire. Not The Times of London, which insultingly published a trivial and irrelevant story on Israeli ultra-orthodox women adopting Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, as a fashion icon.

And not the BBC, CNN, LA Times or Washington Post.

Also unsurprising that smaller news outlets failed to note the weekend’s events considering that the Associated Press wire service that feeds stories to a huge number of other media, gave the story a mere five sentences.

You can bet, however, that any major Israeli military operation in defense of its citizens to put an end to rocket fire, that results in loss of Palestinian life, terrorists or otherwise, will make headlines.

Why is this important? In the eyes of the general public, Israel is perceived as the aggressor, striking out at Palestinians in Gaza with little provocation. Wouldn’t they see it differently if the media bothered to report on the fact that so far in 2012, terrorists in Gaza have fired at least 557 explosives at Israeli civilian targets?

Indeed, since 2001, Hamas and the other terrorist groups have fired over 13,000 rockets and mortars at Israeli towns and cities, killing dozens of civilians.

Just because this has been going on for far too long, it does not absolve the media from acknowledging that it is happening, because without the coverage, the context behind the next story vanishes.