NPR’s On Point Unbalanced Again Against Israel
In yet another of the numerous unbalanced On Point NPR talk show broadcasts dealing with the Middle East (examples — here, here, here, here, here and here), host Tom Ashbrook discussed The U.S., the Arab Spring and Mideast Peace (May 23 ). The panel consisted of Michelle Dunne of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, with an Arabist tilt, and Daniel Kurtzer, who despite being an Orthodox Jew and the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, is known for his opposition to the Israeli government’s policies.
Kurtzer ostensibly was there to provide a counterpoint to Dunne, but made no effort to demur when Dunne commented negatively about Israel. Neither her summary statement that “The Netanyahu government is not interested in making peace,” nor her lumping of “the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza” together with “human rights abuses” and “authoritarian regimes” as the issues that “raise the stakes” in the Middle East warranted any counterpoint from Kurtzer.
Indeed, the attempt to equate Israel’s alleged “occupation of the West Bank and Gaza” with the brutal dictatorships in the Middle East is both biased and counterfactual. Israel gained control of those territories as the result of a defensive war against Arab aggression. Despite the right to the territories being disputed, Israel completely withdrew its citizens and forces from the Gaza Strip in August 2005. The status of the West Bank remains to be determined through a negotiated settlement. No mention was made of this point.
Neither was there any mention of a major factor that negatively impacts the likelihood of a genuine peace — that is, the continuous incitement of Palestinians to violence and hate against Israelis. This indoctrination (examples — here and here)
emanates from Palestinian media, mosques, schools and Websites. No such indoctrination exists on the Israeli side against Palestinians.
When will On Point feature a panel to discuss these issues? Ashbrook and On Point can be
contacted or e-mailed at [email protected].
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