Lonely Planet Founder Bashes Israel
A few years ago, a CAMERA review of the Lonely Planet guidebook on Israel found in that book “a generally disagreeable attitude toward Israel and its Jewish inhabitants.”
“The legacy of Israel given in the ‘Facts about the Country’ section reflects the traditional Arab version of events almost from start to finish,” the review noted.
It wasn’t such a surprise, then, to come across statement by Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler’s statement on the Israel-Hezbollah war that didn’t so much reflect the traditional Arab version of events, but the version of events held by the most extreme Arab leaders.
In a feature in last Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle, Wheeler discussed how previously safe places can quickly become dangerous. Lebanon, he said, has recently become “dangerous” not because the Lebanese government lacked the will or strenght to assert its sovereignty over the whole of Lebanon, and not because Hezbollah provoked a war with Israel with its deadly cross-border kidnapping raid, but because Israel, seemingly for no reason in Wheeler’s mind, behaves like an unruly gorilla:
Lebanon wasn’t a dangerous place a few weeks ago, then Israel starts smashing the place up and it’s very dangerous.
More from SNAPSHOTS
Updated: Is Yohanna Katanacho Telling the Whole Story About West Bank Travel Restrictions?
July 18, 2016
Rev. Dr. Yohanna Katanacho speaks at the 2012 Christ at the Checkpoint Conference in 2012. (Dexter Van Zile) Note: This article has been updated. Scroll to the bottom to see the update. July 18, 2018 [...]
Christian Group Accuses WCC’s Peace Activists of Violating Israeli Law
July 14, 2016
EAPPI activists in the West Bank. (Dexter Van Zile) A subsidiary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), an umbrella organization that is comprised of more than 300 Protestant and Orthodox churches throughout the world, [...]
AP Headline on Israeli Law Breaks Journalistic Rule
July 12, 2016
On a controversial new Israeli law to increase regulation of Israeli non-profit organizations which receive more than half of their funding from foreign states, an Associated Press headline violates the journalistic imperative to maintain impartiality. [...]
Christian Science Monitor Headline Errs on ‘New Israeli Settlements’
July 7, 2016
July 12 Update: CAMERA Prompts Christian Science Monitor Correction of Erroneous Headline on 'New Israeli Settlements' Whenever Israel approves plans for new housing units in preexisting West Bank settlements, or in established Jewish neighborhoods in [...]
National Post Headline Casts Doubt: Murder of Hallel Ariel Maybe Not Terrorism
July 4, 2016
July 5 Update: National Post Amends the Headline Following CAMERA's communication with several editors yesterday, editors commendably amended the headline. It now appropriately states: "Palestinian fatally stabs Israeli girl, 13, as she sleeps in her [...]
After Mother of Terrorist Says Son “Hero” and “Martyr,” NY Times Mistranslates to Hide Her Words (UPDATED)
June 30, 2016
UPDATE: Following communication with CAMERA staff, the New York Times has corrected its subtitles. They now accurately show the woman using the word "hero" to describe terrorists like her son, and no longer claim she [...]
UPDATED: The PA Blood Libel Repeated by President Abbas was Already Debunked with CAMERA’s Help
June 27, 2016
June 24, 2016Today's New York Times features a forthright and informative article by Diaa Hadid about Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' blood libel to the EU. She writes:Echoing anti-Semitic claims that led to the mass killings [...]