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November 12, 2007
Major Papers Ignore Zahar Threat
On Friday, top Hamas official Mahmud Zahar threatened a Hamas takeover in the West Bank, stating at a rally:
"Israel says the party in power in Ramallah (Fatah) serves its interests and if Israel withdraws from the West Bank, Hamas will take control. That's true."
Though this threat to Abbas' government was picked up by the wire services, it didn't make it into the mainstream American newspapers. Until today, that is.
Today, the New York Times' Steve Erlanger mentions Zahar's threat at the end of a long story about the pessimistic outlook for the upcoming Annapolis meeting. The reference is in the context of coverage of the political risks Abbas faces.
To date, the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and Washington Post have all not covered Zahar's threat to conquer the West Bank in the event of an Israeli pullout.
Given the fact that Israeli withdrawals from the West Bank are among the core issues reportedly to be addressed either at the Annapolis conference or in the talks that come after, surely this threat is worthy of coverage.
Posted by TS at November 12, 2007 04:25 AM
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