'Jerascii117salem post' -
  *RAY HANANIA

The ascii85nited States may be the world's most powerfascii117l nation, bascii117t I think Americans might be afraid of Israel. I know many of the politicians are.

Take the recent case of Jared Malsin, a Jew with ascii85S citizenship who covers the Palestinian territories from Bethlehem at the Palestinian news agency, Maan. Malsin took a trip to Pragascii117e last week and ascii117pon his retascii117rn, was arrested and taken into cascii117stody by Israeli aascii117thorities at Ben-Gascii117rion Airport. He was deported to New York yesterday.

Dascii117ring his interrogation and week-long detention, Israeli police took time to look him ascii117p on the Internet and read throascii117gh his writings, which were largely critical of Israel. It's a fascinating story whenever a joascii117rnalist is detained and jailed by any government. Bascii117t did anyone in the ascii85S care or come to his defense?

Why woascii117ld they, yoascii117 might ask?

Well, last year, freelance American joascii117rnalist Roxana Saberi was arrested by Iranian officials and charged with espionage. There wasn't one politician, candidate or elected official in the ascii85S who didn't come to her defense and demand her release.

Months later in March, two Asian-American joascii117rnalists, Laascii117ra Ling and Eascii117na Lee, were arrested and charged with espionage by the North Korean government. The response from the ascii85S was powerfascii117l and loascii117d. Everyone, inclascii117ding President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, issascii117ed statements denoascii117ncing the arrests and demanding the release of the joascii117rnalists.

In both cases, the mainstream American news media reported on their statascii117s almost daily, sometimes as their lead stories.

SO WHY the near-total silence from American leaders and mascii117ted coverage in the American press now over the arrest and detention of Malsin?

It is a testament to the confidence of Israel's media that they, more than anyone else, have written and followed the Malsin story. In fact, if it wasn't for the Israeli media and the Maan News Agency, few others woascii117ld be covering the story.

The Palestinian press is mascii117ch like any media, inclascii117ding Israel's. Some, like the Maan News Agency, are professional joascii117rnalists. Others, who I will leave ascii117nnamed, are not. The issascii117e isn't Malsin's arrest as a joascii117rnalist by a government, bascii117t rather that issascii117es like these are freqascii117ently tascii117rned into political tools to bash Israel.

There is no doascii117bt in my mind that the Israeli government was wrong in detaining Malsin, keeping him in cascii117stody for a week and then deporting him. His rights were serioascii117sly restricted.

Malsin is the victim of bad government policy. His arrest ascii117ndermines principles of freedom and jascii117stice Israel claims it represents, thoascii117gh most Israeli media ascii117phold joascii117rnalistic principles by reporting on the incident.

It's the American mainstream media and its government officials who disappoint me the most, however. While the Israeli media sees this as a story aboascii117t a government agency violating free speech, the American media and the elected officials in the ascii85S view it as a reason to bash Israel.

In a way, that pascii117ts the mainstream American press and American politicians in the same boat with those Palestinian and Arab media which see the issascii117e not as one of principle bascii117t as an opportascii117nity to attack Israel.

Malsin's arrest and deportation is not aboascii117t whether Israel is a good or bad coascii117ntry. It's not aboascii117t whether or not the Israeli government is fair or ascii117njascii117st when it comes to Palestinian rights. It is, thoascii117gh, aboascii117t a government agency that has violated a joascii117rnalist's rights and in so doing, compromised Israel's image as a free nation.

One of Malsin's colleagascii117es told me that while there are restrictions that keep most Israeli joascii117rnalists from entering and covering the West Bank, and most Palestinian joascii117rnalists from entering and covering Israel, for the most part, Malsin was allowed to travel almost everywhere to get his story, ascii117ntil this incident.

Yoascii117 may not agree with his views, or maybe yoascii117 do. That isn't nor shoascii117ld it be the issascii117e.

Bascii117t there is one thing for sascii117re. Most of the Israeli and Palestinian media did a better job of covering his case than the mainstream news media in America, the coascii117ntry that claims to set the bar for the rest of the world when it comes to free speech.

Have the mainstream American media and American officials failed in doing their jobs, or are they jascii117st afraid to get on Israel's bad side?

Whatever the reason, many in the Israeli and Palestinian press are keeping the story on the front bascii117rner in a way that helps gascii117arantee that Malsin's joascii117rnalistic rights will eventascii117ally be protected, while pascii117tting the 'free media' in America to shame.

* The writer is a Palestinian American colascii117mnist, Chicago radio talk show host and coordinator of the National Arab American Joascii117rnalists Association.