David Bedein
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David Bedein (; born August 31, 1950) is an
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, a community organizer by profession, a writer, and an investigative journalist. In 1987, Bedein established the ''Israel Resource News Agency'', with offices at the
Beit Agron Agron House (, Beit Agron) is a landmark in downtown Jerusalem. Constructed in memory of Gershon Agron, it has housed various Israeli national institutions in pursuit of the arts. It is located at 37 Hillel Street. Planning and construction After ...
Int'l Press Center in Jerusalem. He serves as Director of The Center for Near East Policy Research. Bedein has also reported for news outlets such as
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Radio,
Makor Rishon ''Makor Rishon'' ( lit. "Firsthand Source") is a semi-major Israeli newspaper associated with Religious Zionism and the educated liberal-conservative right-wing. History ''Makor Rishon'' was founded as a weekly magazine in July 1997 in order ...
, ''
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'', ''
The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English language, English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate of Mandatory Palestine, Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''Th ...
'', and the ''
Jewish World Review ''Jewish World Review'' is a politically conservative, online magazine updated Monday through Friday (except for legal holidays and holy days), which seeks to appeal to "people of faith and those interested in learning more about contemporary ...
''. For four years, Bedein was the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
correspondent for '' The Bulletin'', writing 1,062 articles until the newspaper ceased operation in 2010. Bedein has covered attempts at
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
negotiations centering Israel—in many major cities of the world. Bedein lives in
Efrat Efrat (Hebrew: אפרת) is a name with Hebrew origins that can also refer to: * Efrat (given name), Israeli given name * Efrat (surname), Israeli surname *Efrat (Israeli settlement) Efrat (), or previously officially Efrata (), is an Israeli s ...
with his family. One of his inspirations was the community organizer and activist
Saul Alinsky Saul David Alinsky (January 30, 1909 – June 12, 1972) was an American community activist and political theorist. His work through the Chicago-based Industrial Areas Foundation helping poor communities organize to press demands upon landlord ...
.


Work

Bedein was active in the Israeli
peace movement A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world pe ...
for over for 17 years. In the 1980s, Bedein went to
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as part of a delegation to investigate the impact of the famine on the Ethiopian Jewish community. The UNRWA Reform Initiative (U.R.I.) was launched by The Center for Near East Policy Research, which has been conducting news investigations and producing films since 1987. Their current project focuses on policy change at
UNRWA The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA, pronounced ) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians who fl ...
, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.


Research and media presence

Bedein has overseen investigative studies of the
Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...
, the Expulsion Process from Gush Katif and Samaria, The
Peres Center for Peace The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, located in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Jaffa, Israel, is an independent non-profit, non-governmental, and non-political organization founded in 1996 by Nobel Peace Laureate and former President of Israel Shimon Pe ...
,
Peace Now Peace Now ( ''Shalom Achshav'', ) is an Israeli liberal advocacy organization with the aim of promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Early activism In an official document from 1982 Peace Now advocated for an und ...
, The International Center for Economic Cooperation of
Yossi Beilin Joseph "Yossi" Beilin (; born 12 June 1948) is an Israeli politician who has served in multiple ministerial and leadership positions in the Israeli government. Much of his political career was in the Labour Party. He also served as chairman of t ...
, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), Adalah, the
New Israel Fund The New Israel Fund (NIF; ; ) is a United States–based NGO established in 1979. It describes its objective as social justice and equality for all Israelis. The New Israel Fund says it has provided $300 million to over 900 Israeli civil society ...
, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Under the direction of David Bedein, the Center for Near East Policy Research and Israel Behind The News have produced a number of investigative video productions. In July 2013, they released a film titled "''Camp Jihad''" allegedly showing activities and interviews in which
UNRWA The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA, pronounced ) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians who fl ...
promotes
anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
and incitement to violence in its 'summer camps'. This was not the first time he dealt with this topic. UNRWA released an official rejection of these claims, claiming the summer camp shown, and the people involved are not affiliated with UNRWA. In a November 2013 meeting between
US Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
,
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
and
Israeli Prime Minister The prime minister of Israel (, Hebrew abbreviation: ; , ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief executive of the State of Israel. Israel is a parliamentary republic with a president as the head of state. The presiden ...
Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
, parts of this film were shown. Bedein has been involved in the UNRWA Reform Initiative, which involves requests of donor nations to make reasonable reforms of UNRWA. Bedein's legal counsel articulated these requested reforms in a letter to the British government's
Department for International Development The Department for International Development (DFID) was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom, from 1997 to 2020. It was responsible for administering foreign aid ...
(DFID), which assists UNRWA. In March 2014, Bedein participated in an informal panel at the
British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...
with experts on UNRWA education. Since the publication of his book, Bedein has discovered several new alleged findings concerning UNRWA, which were published by the two organisations he has founded, under the titles ''Islamic groups that fund UNRWA'', ''Palestinian Authority Allegation: "Jews killed Christ" in the Palestinian Authority Christian Education Textbooks Used in UNRWA Schools in the West Bank, Jerusalem & Gaza'', and ''The U.N.'s Child Death Cult Education''. Bedein presented his latest research to members of the
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on November 18, 2016. He appeared on a local program entitled "Follow the Money: with Swedish journalist Tobias Petterson" Following these revelations, Tobias Petterson took to the Israel National News site, Arutz 7, to express his shock over the official Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education textbooks and curriculum.


ABC Lawsuit

In 1988, the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...
(ABC) filed a lawsuit in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
for $1 million against Bedein's company, Israel Resources, after Bedein showed "taped copies of the network's evening news coverage of the Arab uprising" (
First Intifada The First Intifada (), also known as the First Palestinian Intifada, was a sustained series of Nonviolent resistance, non-violent protests, acts of civil disobedience, Riot, riots, and Terrorism, terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians ...
) at one or more events where Bedein charged a fee for entry. ABC charged that Bedein violated the copyright to the footage by showing the clips. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' provided more context in an article just following the filing of the lawsuit:
Newscasts drawn from American, Canadian and European television were shown throughout the winter months to demonstrate the disparity between foreign and Israeli coverage of the Palestinian uprising. Showing the tapes to Jerusalem audiences helped lead to outraged charges from many Israelis that the international press was being unfair to their country.Before the foreign television tapes were shown here, Israelis had seen only their own television coverage, which failed to show many of the worst cases of violence. That coverage helped many in this country form their personal impression of what was happening in the occupied territories. When they saw the foreign television coverage, many were shocked, and they accused the foreign news organizations of being biased against Israel.
ABC ultimately lost the case in 1992 on a technicality for not being able to prove a corporate link between ABC Inc. and
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in a move ''
The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English language, English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate of Mandatory Palestine, Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''Th ...
'' called "a pity" in an
editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...
.


Films produced by the Center for Near East Policy Research

The Center for Near East Policy Research has been investigating UNRWA for 27 years and has produced documentary films for over a decade, showing activities going on in schools and camps, with interviews from students and staff. * 2022 'UNRWA Ignites Jerusalem - English' * 2022 'UNRWA Ignites Jerusalem - עברית' * 2022 ''Fatah Day' - UNRWA Deheishe Refugee Camp - English' * 2022 ''Fatah Day' - UNRWA Deheishe Refugee Camp - עברית' * 2021 'The UNRWA Child Soldier - English' * 2021 'The UNRWA Child Soldier - עברית' * 2021 'The UNRWA Child Soldier - German' * 2021 'UNRWA Education to Violence' * 2021 'UNRWA Jihad Online - English' * 2021 'UNRWA Jihad Online - עברית' * 2020 'UNRWA Terror Balloons - English' * 2020 'UNRWA Terror Balloons - עברחת' * 2020 'UNRWA Terror Balloons - German' * 2020 'UNRWA Terror Balloons - עברית קצר' * 2020 'UNRWA Terror Balloons - Balloons Only' * 2020 'Incitement to Return – English' * 2020 'Incitement to Return - עברית' * 2020 'Incitement to Return - English & עברית' * 2019 'The UNRWA War for Return: From Bethlehem to Jerusalem - English' * 2019 'Profile of Mohammad Assaf: UNRWA Goodwill Ambassador for Peace - עברית' * 2019 'Candidates for the 21st Israeli Knesset Cope with UNRWA in Gaza - English' * 2019 'Candidates for the 21st Israeli Knesset Cope with UNRWA in Gaza - Hebrew' * 2019 'UNRWA in Jerusalem: Anatomy of Chaos - English' * 2019 'UNRWA in Jerusalem: Anatomy of Chaos - עברחת' * 2018 'Terror of Return (Full Version)' * 2018 'Terror of Return - English Short version' * 2018 'Terror of Return - עברית Short version' * 2018 'UNRWA Uprising' * 2018 'Inside UNRWA Refugee Camp in Shuafat' * 2018 'UNRWA in Jerusalem' * 2017 'The Legacy of UNRWA' *2017 'Stop Child Abuse: UNRWA Prepares Child Soldiers for War' * 2016 'UNRWA Road to Terror: Palestinian Classroom Incitement' * 2015 'Mohammad Assaf: War Song for UNRWA' * 2015 'Iran: Billions for Terror' * 2015 'Children's Army of Hamas' * 2014 'UNRWA Goes to War' * 2013 'Camp Jihad' * 2013 'Inside the UNRWA Classroom' * 2011 'UNRWA Right of Return Summer Camp' * 2011 'Palestinian Refugee Policy: From Despair to Hope - Parts 1—2' * 2010 'For the Sake of Nakba' * 2004 'Hostages of Hatred - Parts 1—6'


References


External links

* Interviews with and (and many others) can be found on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. * Eleven documentary films can be viewed at The Center for Near East Policy Research Website. * Research on UNRWA is located at The Center for Near East Policy Research and Israel Behind the News. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bedein, David Israeli journalists Israeli Jews Living people 1950 births