Critique of New York Times Anti-Israel Editorial
David Harris responds to a recent Times editorial that, like so many of that newspaper’s editorials, excoriated Israel while virtually ignoring Palestinian responsibility for the situation in the Levant:
On March 27, The New York Times published a lead editorial entitled “Mr. Obama and Israel”.
It was a bare-knuckled assault on Israel. That will bring joy to Israel’s critics. But it did a disservice to the realities on the ground.
Of the editorial’s twenty-six sentences, exactly one – “He [President Obama] must also press Palestinians and Arab leaders just as forcefully.” – is devoted to Israel’s neighbors.
That’s the sum total given to other side of the peace-process equation. It reads like a throwaway line to cover that flank.
Of course, getting serious about peace, which is the editorial’s nominal purpose, requires more attention to those who have rejected every serious overture – from the 1947 UN Partition Plan to the 2009 two-state proposal offered by Prime Minister Olmert.
And it necessitates a more thorough review of the past 14 months since President Obama took office – and of most of the Arab world’s failure to respond to Washington’s pleas for confidence-building measures.
Read the rest here.
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