Debunking Ameer Ali: Sri Lankan Journalists Visiting Israel is not a Mossad Plot
In a recent article published on the Colombo Telegraph, Ameer Ali attempts to portray Israel’s engagement with Sri Lanka as a shadowy, manipulative operation designed to control public opinion and “brainwash” journalists. His piece, titled “Sri Lanka-Israel Media Rendezvous“, exaggerates routine diplomatic and journalistic exchanges into a sweeping conspiracy theory, implicating the Israeli government, India, and even ordinary Sri Lankan journalists in a supposed plot to undermine the country’s sovereignty. Ali distorts facts, selectively highlights incidents, and conflates normal media tours with covert intelligence operations, creating a narrative that is as misleading as it is sensational. From insinuations about Mossad involvement to wild claims about geopolitical maneuvering, his article relies on fearmongering rather than evidence. This blog post addresses Ali’s claims point by point, dismantling them with reason, context, and facts. By exposing his exaggerations and clarifying the real motives behind Israel’s media outreach, we set the record straight and counter his false narrative.
The False Accusation of Brainwashing Minds
Ameer Ali begins his rant by suggesting Sri Lankan journalists visiting Israel are being “brainwashed” or even on the “payroll of Mossad.” This is laughable paranoia. Journalists travel to countries all over the world—China, the US, Iran, even Saudi Arabia—for study tours and conferences. No one screams about “mind control” then. Why is Israel singled out? Because critics like Ali cannot tolerate balanced reporting that doesn’t fit their propaganda. The idea that sixteen journalists cannot think for themselves is deeply insulting—not only to their integrity but also to Sri Lanka’s democratic spirit. If Ali believes exposure to Israel’s innovation, democracy, and resilience equals brainwashing, that says more about his insecurity than about Israel. Israel does not need to bribe or “hypnotize” journalists—the truth of its survival against terror and its advancements in technology, agriculture, and medicine speak louder than his conspiracy theories.
Distorting Bernard Lewis to Spread Propaganda
Ali invokes the late historian Bernard Lewis, twisting his observations into a crude narrative that Israel manipulates public opinion while Arabs “please leaders.” Let’s be clear: Israel wins global public opinion not because of some sinister brainwashing machine but because it represents democracy, innovation, and human rights in a region dominated by dictatorships, monarchies, and terror groups. To compare Israel’s outreach to journalists with Qatar bribing Donald Trump with a jet is absurd. Qatar literally funds Hamas, shelters extremists, and uses bribery to silence critics. Israel, meanwhile, opens its doors and lets journalists see reality firsthand. Ali also drags in Sinhala Ravaya, claiming they want to copy Israel’s nation-building. Israel is not a racial purity state—it is a multi-ethnic democracy where Arabs, Druze, and Jews live, work, and vote. The only side obsessed with “purity” is Hamas, which openly declares Jews must be exterminated. Ali conveniently ignores this reality.
The Delhi Conspiracy Theory Exposed Clearly
Next, Ali spins a wild conspiracy about why the tour was organized from New Delhi rather than Colombo, painting India, Israel, and the US as some kind of sinister “axis.” This is Cold War paranoia at its peak. Israel has had strong diplomatic, economic, and security ties with India for decades. Organizing logistics through New Delhi makes sense—India is a regional hub, not a secret plot to “colonize” Sri Lanka. Ali conveniently ignores that India abstained at the UN on Palestine resolutions not because it supports genocide, but because it refuses to endorse one-sided, Hamas-written resolutions that ignore Israel’s right to self-defense. He rants about arms trade as if Israel-India defense ties are some dark secrets. Every country buy and sells arms—it is called national security. If Ali wants to attack arms trade, perhaps he should start with Iran arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad, the true destabilizers of peace.
Tourism Myths and Manufactured Public Outrage
Ali then points to “concerns” about Israeli tourists, Chabad houses, kosher food, and visa overstayers as if these are crimes against humanity. Let’s break this down: every country has tourists who overstay visas—including Europeans, Russians, and even South Asians. Singling out Israelis is discriminatory. Chabad houses and kosher restaurants are peaceful, religious, and cultural spaces—unlike radical mosques in Kattankudy that have produced suicide bombers. If a handful of Israeli tourists behave badly, deal with them like any other foreigner—don’t smear an entire nation. What Ali fears is not misbehavior but influence. Israelis come to Sri Lanka, contribute to the economy, build friendships, and expose the lies talked about them. That is why he shouts “brainwashing.” He wants Sri Lankans to only hear the Hamas side of the story. His hypocrisy is exposed when he ignores Saudi-funded Wahhabi expansion in Sri Lanka while crying about kosher restaurants.
Exploiting Sri Lankan Politics for Propaganda
Ali cynically drags Sri Lanka’s domestic politics into his Israel-bashing, painting the JVP/NPP government as “reformist” and the opposition as corrupt—all while shoehorning Israel into the narrative. What does Israel have to do with Ranil Wickremesinghe’s alleged corruption or Mahinda Rajapaksa’s perks? Nothing. Yet Ali insists that Israel, the US, and India are plotting to exploit political unrest. This is projection—because, it is Islamic states like Qatar, Turkey, and Iran that exploit divisions to fund radicalism in Sri Lanka. Israel does not need to destabilize Sri Lanka. Israel is focused on defending itself from rockets, tunnels, and terror. It is grotesque to claim that 20,000 Sri Lankan workers in Israel, who send millions home in remittances, are part of some sinister “blood-soaked” plot. Israel provides jobs, skills, and safety. It is Hamas—not Israel—that drenches the Middle East in blood.
The Final Chapter of Fearful Manipulation
Ali closes with a doomsday warning: Israel’s outreach to Sri Lanka will bring “communal disharmony, economic setback, and loss of sovereignty.” This is classic fearmongering. Israel has no history of colonizing Sri Lanka, destabilizing its politics, or funding terror groups. The same cannot be said of Middle Eastern states that export Wahhabi ideology and bankroll radical mosques. Israel offers Sri Lanka technology in agriculture, water management, and security—solutions that could genuinely help a struggling economy. To frame this as a threat is absurd. Minister Jayatissa was correct: journalists are free to visit Israel, free to report what they see, and free to form their own opinions. Only those terrified of truth call this “immaturity.” Ali’s rant is not journalism—it is propaganda dressed up as analysis. His hostility to Israel says less about Israel and more about his ideological slavery to the anti-Israel narrative. Sri Lankans deserve better than his recycled lies.
Wrap Up
The hysteria surrounding Sri Lankan journalists visiting Israel, as highlighted by Ameer Ali, is not only unfounded but has also been criticized by other independent voices in the country. Articles such as “Sri Lanka: Is Visiting Israel a Sin?” on the Sri Lanka Guardian and “Crucifying Journalists for Visiting Israel” on the Colombo Telegraph expose the same flawed reasoning, pointing out that demonizing journalists for engaging with Israel is both irrational and damaging to press freedom. These pieces underscore that travel for professional development, research, or reporting cannot be equated with brainwashing or betrayal of national interest. Israel’s outreach to journalists, like that of any democratic country, is designed to foster understanding, dialogue, and exposure to innovation—not to manipulate. By critically examining these claims and debunking conspiracy-laden narratives, it becomes clear that attempts to vilify Israel and those who engage with it are rooted in ideology, not fact, and ultimately harm Sri Lanka’s democratic discourse and international relations.
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