Hosni Mubarak “Staunch Ally of Israel”
A report by Isabel Kershner and Elisabeth Bumiller discussing the controversial letter allegedly sent by newly-elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to Israeli President Shimon Peres provides another example of how The New York Times’ distorted view of Israel and the Middle East seeps into its news reporting.
Contrasting the tense relationship between Israel and Egypt’s new Muslim Brotherhood political leadership, Kershner and Bumiller write,
Since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, a staunch ally of Israel, there has been no high-level dialogue between the Israeli and Egyptian political leadership…
A reality check is in order here. The former Egyptian president maintained the peace agreement with Israel and cooperated on isolating Hamas-ruled Gaza. For that he deserves praise. But a staunch ally? The New York Times has set the bar so low here it would challenge an expert limbo dancer. Under Mubarak’s long rule, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish invective flourished in Egypt, including its state-controlled media. Economic relations stagnated and tourism was in one direction only — from Israel to Egypt. Mr. Mubarak himself set an example by never visiting Israel in an official capacity in 30 years as president. He visited Israel only once — a non-state visit — to attend Yitzhak Rabin’s funeral.
With staunch allies like that, who needs tentative allies?
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