False Zionist Quote: Sharon Quote is Fabricated

The following is an example of statements misquoted, taken out of context or otherwise manipulated to present a distorted view of Zionist intentions and actions. The misquotes are found in op-eds in campus newpapers and mainstream press as well as on anti-Israel websites.

MISQUOTE:

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as quoted in an op-ed by nationally syndicated columnist Georgie Anne Geyer, allegedly said at an Israeli Cabinet meeting in autumn, 2001and reported by Kol Yisrael radio:

“Don’t worry about American pressure, we control America.”

“Don’t worry about American pressure on Israel, we, the Jewish people control America, and the Americans know it.”

FACT:

These quotes originated with the pro-Hamas American group Islamic Association for Palestine in an Oct. 13, 2001 press release, which claimed its source as Israeli radio Kol Yisrael:

According [to] the Israeli Hebrew radio, Col Yisrael Wednesday, Peres warned Sharon that refusing to heed incessant American requests for a cease-fire with the Palestinians would endanger Israeli interests and turn the US against us. At this point, a furious Sharon reportedly turned toward Peres, saying “ . . . I want to tell you something clear, don’t worry about American pressure on Israel, we the Jewish people control America, and the Americans know it.”…

Elsewhere in the press release, the quote was repeated, albeit slightly altered to: “we control America.”

CAMERA received confirmation from Kol Yisrael political correspondent Yoni Ben-Menachem, who reports on Cabinet meetings, that he never made such a broadcast and that Sharon never made such a statement.

For more on the misquote by Georgie Anne Geyer, read CAMERA’s “Syndicated Columnist Georgie Anne Geyer Uses Fabricated Sharon Quote.” The misquote also appears on many anti-Israel and hate sites.

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