Reuters: big, bad Israelis to deport owner of book-shop-to-the-stars

One of the great long-running scams run by Reuters Middle East bureau is to focus obsessively on Israeli immigration policy and portray every deportation or detention as an international human rights scandal.  Very little context is provided in these reports and never do Reuters correspondents compare Israeli policy with that of other governments, generally held in high regard for purported just and humane treatment of migrants.

In 2009 for example, we commented on a story by Douglas Hamilton where the Reuters correspondent sought to demonize Israel for rescinding the residency status of those Palestinians who spend more than seven consecutive years outside the country, or take foreign domicile or citizenship.  We noted that many countries in Europe, including France for example, have similar or even more draconian residency laws -- yet Reuters makes no mention of this.

In February 2010, we noted news of the Kingdom of Jordan arbitrarily stripping thousands of Palestinians of their citizenship.  Reuters failed to even cover the story.

And in November 2010, we commented on a repulsive piece edited by Hamilton which sought to draw a parallel between a holding facility for migrants Israel had been considering and the Nazi concentration camps.

Now comes a story by Reuters correspondent Maayan Lubell about a Palestinian bookseller in Jerusalem who faces deportation following a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court due to the fact that he left Israel -- in 1973 -- to study and live in the United States where he acquired citizenship.  Lubell's transparent appeal to pity entitled:

Israelis defend threatened Palestinian bookseller [italics ours]

tells the tale of Munther Fahmi and his celebrity Israeli supporters like author David Grossman:

"I think it's a scandal that the Israeli government wants to deport a man born here in Jerusalem, who has family and such a special business here. He just wants to continue his life," Grossman told Reuters.
Literature, history, art and even local cuisine cookbooks are stacked to the ceiling in Fahmi's store, lining the walls of the narrow shop which has been dubbed by some as the only decent English-language book store in the country. The shop sits opposite the distinguished American Colony hotel, a favorite of top diplomats, ex-pats and foreign journalists. Fahmi says they all frequent his business.
"Presidents, prime ministers, historians, even Hollywood stars, from Kofi Annan to Uma Thurman -- they have all been here," Fahmi said.

Well, the fact that Uma Thurman shops at Fahmi's store is clearly evidence of Israel's crimes against humanity in seeking to deport Fahmi after 38 years of life and citizenship in America.

Perhaps for its next story on unjust deportation practices, Reuters can focus on the child detention facility the British government is building in Sussex.