Cross-Cultural Understanding

www.ccun.org

News, February 2008

 

Opinion Editorials

News

News Photos

 

 

 

Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.


Steven Spielberg Supports Apartheid Israel But Protests China's Relations With Sudan, Shedding Tears on the Uranium & Oil Rich Darfur

February 16, 2008

Background and comment:

News reports revealed that Steven Spielberg withdrew from the 2008 Chinese Olympics games in protest to the Chinese relations with the Sudanese government. The implication is that the Chinese government is responsible for the civil war in the Sudanese region of Darfur, and the killing of innocent civilians there.

The pressure against China was spearheaded by the late Congressman, Tom Lantos, but continues unabated.

It is clear that the anti-China Darfur campaign by supporters of Israel aims at denying the Arab state of Sudan its uranium and oil resources. It seems that they want the Chinese government to stop its relations with Sudan, which may weaken the Sudanese government enough to the extent of enabling the Darfur rebels to secede from the country.

At the same time, Spielberg and other supporters of the Israeli Apartheid occupation regime never protest the horrors, massacres, and daily war crimes the Israeli occupation forces commit against the Palestinian people.

Readers find below just few links documenting Spielberg's support for the Israeli Apartheid regime, while there are thousands of other links about the subject, just conduct a search about Spielberg and Israel.

Finally, the news about Spielberg's withdrawal from the Chinese Olympics will follow, and another one about President Bush's intention to attend.

What's hypocrisy?

***

Links about Spielberg's support for Israel:

 

  1. ... on Steven Spielberg's new blockbuster film on Israel and ... SPIELBERG SET TO VISIT ... actors have avoided visiting Israel, perhaps fearing too close ...
    www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/000621.html - 40k - Cached
  2. My thoughts on life in Israel, Torah, Judaism, Jews, politics and whatever else goes through my head. ... Jon Stewart on George Bush's visit to Israel (vide...
    lifeinisrael.blogspot.com/2007/07/steven-spielberg-film-archive-com... - 156k - Cached
  3. "My dream is to visit Israel, go to the Dead Sea, to tour the Western Wall and ... representatives from the American film industry, including Steven Spielberg. ...
    www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3328923,00.html - 36k - Cached
  4. Collects, preserves, documents, and catalogs Jewish and Israeli documentary films from 1911 to the present.
    www.spielbergfilmarchive.org.il - 19k - Cached
  5. ... those optimistic themes; more violent alien invaders visiting havoc on the earth. ... Spielberg's unabashed support for Israel has also put him in the hot seat. ...
    filmguide.wikia.com/wiki/Steven_Spielberg - 85k - Cached
  6. Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List taught a new generation of movie-goers the ... 5. "Jerusalem Archives, 1941: "Grand Mufti Visits Adolf Hitler in Germany, ...
    www.think-israel.org/wright.munich.html - 33k - Cached
  7. ... filmmaker Steven Spielberg will donate $1 million to relief efforts in Israel as ... 22:03 German cabinet will visit Israel to mark Jewish state's 60th ...
    www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/748433.html - 161k - Cached
  8. Pictures, biography, and a full list of Steven Spielberg's movies and producer credits. ... America Celebrates Israel's 50th (1998) (TV) .... Himself ...
    www.imdb.com/name/nm0000229 - 106k - Cached
  9. When Steven Spielberg began filming Munich in June 2004, he set the tone for his ... Spielberg's Mossad agents complain that Israel has no death penalty, so killing ...
    www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20654 - 88k - Cached

China says regretful over Steven Spielberg's withdrawal as an artistic advisor from 2008 Olympics

www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-15 10:31:22

    BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) --

China says "regretful" over Hollywood movie director Steven Spielberg's withdrawal from 2008 Beijing Olympics as an artistic advisor.

    The American big shot movie director announced his decision to quit the coming Olympics on Wednesday, citing concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, which he linked to the Chinese government.

    "We express regret (for his decision)," China Daily quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao as saying.

    Responding to recent remarks by some Westerners linking China to Darfur, Liu said China has "noticed these or those discussions and moves on China's stance on Darfur".

    "It is understandable if some people do not understand the Chinese government's policy on Darfur," he said. "But we can't accept that some people want to use this as an opportunity to link Darfur to China's Africa and Sudan policies, and even to the Beijing Olympic Games."

    Liu said China has been working with the United Nations to resolve the Darfur crisis.

    "China is also concerned about the humanitarian crisis there, but we have been playing a positive and constructive role in promoting peace in Darfur," he said.

    China has so far offered 11.1 million US dollars in humanitarian aid to Sudan, Liu said. Chinese firms have also offered help.

    China National Electric Equipment Corporation has already completed 18 small-scale power plants in Darfur and two more are under way.

    In addition, Beijing is sending 315 engineering troops to the region, 140 of which have already arrived.

    Last year, when Sudan and the UN differed over the deployment of hybrid peacekeeping forces, China sent a special envoy several times to Khartoum to persuade the government to accept the UN resolution.

    "On the issue of Darfur, empty rhetoric will not help," Liu said. "What is more important is to do more things to help with the peace process there and alleviate the humanitarian crisis."

    The moves "disgusted" ordinary Chinese, citing the Chinese-language current affairs newspaper Global Times, in an article summarizing the response of the Chinese public to the decision by Spielberg and some other Westerners to boycott the Beijing Olympics.

    "Western exploitation of the Olympics to pressure China immediately provoked much disgust among ordinary Chinese people," the paper quoted.

    "The vast majority of Chinese people have expressed bafflement and outrage at the Western pressure. In ordinary Chinese' eyes, it is totally ridiculous to place the Darfur issue, so many thousands of kilometers away, on China's shoulders," it said.

    The newspaper quoted Professor Jin Canrong from the Renmin University of China as saying that linking Darfur issue to the Olympics shows some Western countries were exploiting their "media hegemony" to whip up prejudice.

Editor: Sun Yunlong

Bush: plans to attend Beijing Olympics remain unchanged

www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-15 18:31:17  

    LONDON, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) --

U.S. President George W. Bush said on Thursday that he would attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics as scheduled.

    "I'm going to the Olympics. I view the Olympics as a sporting event," Bush told the BBC in an interview aired on the day.

    As for Hollywood movie director Steven Spielberg's withdrawal from Beijing Olympics as an artistic adviser over alleged concerns over the violence in Sudan's Darfur region, Bush said he had no reason to use the Olympics as a way to highlight such issues.

    "I have a little different platform than Steven Spielberg, so I get to talk to President Hu Jintao," the president said.

    Spielberg Wednesday announced his decision to quit the upcoming Olympics as an artistic adviser, citing concerns over the violence in Darfur, which he linked to the Chinese government.

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular press conference Thursday that China has exerted positive efforts to resolve the Darfur issue, and that linking the issue to the Olympic Games will not help and is against the Olympic Spirit that separates sports from politics.

 


Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

 

 

 

 

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent ccun.org.

editor@ccun.org