Alexander Mashevich says planned pro-Israel news channel will "represent Israel on an international level, with real information."
By JPOST.COM STAFFMASHKEVITCH 311(photo credit: Ron Friedman)
Russian “oligarch” and Jewish philanthropist Alexander Mashkevich announced on Wednesday his intention to found a Jewish version of Al-Jazeera."Every day and every hour people get negative information about Israel," Mashkevich said at the Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal conference in Washington D.C. "Therefore, the most important thing is to represent Israel on an international level, with real information."RELATED:Moscow’s Jewish elite raise funds, campaign for IsraelStellar Startups: The merits of hi-tech hasbaraKutcher talks Twitter, ‘hasbara’ at Tel Aviv expoMashkevich plans to found an international, professional news station as a response to unreliable reports on Israel. He says the station will not be a source of propaganda, but will tell the truth."I think this idea should be implemented. I already spoke about it several years ago with Israeli government officials and with influential people in the Jewish world, and everyone agrees that such a channel is necessary," he said.Mashkevich, a native of Kyrgyzstan who became a billionaire through investments in Kazakhstan during perestroika, admitted that founding such a channel would not be simple, because of its high costs, but said that he plans to officially present it in Israel in a few months.There is a lot of interest in the news channel, the billionaire said, all that's missing is a name.
