Washington Post Praises Israeli Terrorism Courts
In an editorial remarkable for its contrast with much of the paper’s own Arab-Israeli news coverage, The Washington Post’s “Israel’s Example; Fighting terrorism without sacrificing due process” (September 4) reports important basic facts. The lead sentence:
“No one would say that Israel is soft on terrorism, which makes it all the more fascinating that a country that essentially lives under siege provides so many legal accommodations to those it detains as unlawful combatants.” One can read much Washington Post foreign reporting without getting the sense that Israel “essentially lives under siege.”
The commentary notes that “even non-citizens captured outside the country and designated unlawful combatants are entitled to due process in Israeli civilian courts.”
The editorial errs by referring to the West Bank only as “the occupied territories” without noting that the occupation is legal, the result of Israel’s successful self-defense in 1967, and that the area’s status also is that of “disputed territory.” And the commentary’s purpose is not to compliment Israel but to allow The Post to contrast unfavorably U.S. judicial treatment of non-combatants with Israeli procedures.
Nevertheless, “Israel’s Example” gives readers important, fundamental information, and should be commended for that. — ER
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