That cannot be expected of readers of newspapers and audiences of newscasts, but it is incumbent on those who are in policymaking positions, who teach, or who bring news to the public, that they verify statements before they accept and disseminate falsehoods. If they neglect that duty, they become accomplices in deceit. Those who invent falsehoods may then believe they are truth. They espouse them as righteous, and so all who dispute them are wicked. There is no need for those who read and hear the falsehoods to follow along this path of delusion.
Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.
In The Palestinian Authority Libels, lies, and false accusations against Israel and Jews are frequent, prominent components of the Palestinian leadership's public discourse and in the Palestinian media. Suha Arafat's accusation, made while standing next to Hillary Clinton, that Israel was poisoning Palestinians was consistent with standard Palestinian libels. The intent of this campaign is to intensify the hostile atmosphere toward Israel The quantity and intensity of these libels have increased lately with the aim of presenting Israel and Jews as evil, treacherous enemies that pose a mortal danger to the Palestinians, to Islam, and to all that is holy to them. The intent of this campaign is to intensify the hostile atmosphere toward Israel and is consistent with the Palestinian Authority's policy of fostering hatred toward Israel. Yasser Arafat, at the recent Davos Economic Forum, called on the international community to protect the Palestinians from Israeli actions, including the use of tanks, combat helicopters, and machine guns against Palestinian children.