Another foolish Baltimore Sun editorial
Baltimore Sun editorials on Arab-Israeli matters tend to be superficial, illogical and therefore foolish. The latest, “Louder than words,” in the February 27 edition, is no exception. It:
* Decries Israel’s recent counter-terrorism raid in Nablus, but fails to mention that the action uncovered three bomb-making laboratories, resulted in the arrest of five suspected Islamic Jihad terrorists, that in 2006 most attempted suicide bombings originated in the Nablus area, or that just a few days before the raid Israeli authorities disrupted an Islamic Jihad plot to bomb a shopping center in Tel Aviv. The Sun offers no substitute strategy for Israeli self-defense.
* Acknowledges that diplomacy can’t progress unless the Palestinian Authority’s Hamas-led government “recognizes Israel and renounces terrorism — its leaders have done neither,” yet laments Washington’s “uncompromising stand ….” So the United States should compromise, even though Hamas does not?
* Complains — this is Sun editorialists on autopilot — of “the Bush administration’s apparent lack of interest in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis” and says “actions speak louder than words.” But this latest visit just added to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s lengthy Arab-Israeli frequent flyer log. The Sun, acknowledging Hamas’ obstructions, nevertheless insists on blaming President Bush and Rice for the absence of a “two-state solution.” And,
* Repeats conventional news media wisdom that “loss of millions in international aid” “has devastated the [Palestinian] economy.” But, as a CAMERA study has shown, international subsidies have risen, not declined. A bloated public sector, inefficiency, corruption, crime and internecine fighting, not a redirection of aid from the Hamas government to non-governmental agencies, has hurt the Palestinian economy.
“Louder than words” is a jumble of contradictory observations. It provides nothing remotely resembling an analysis. It leads to no useful insight or recommendation. Like most Sun Arab-Israeli editorials, it wastes the paper’s space and readers’ time.
More from SNAPSHOTS
Double Standards: Boycotts and Discrimination in MassLive
May 16, 2025
Anti-Israel activists, including Harvard University’s Lara Jirmanus, a clinical instructor, seem to struggle with the concept of “discrimination.” Quoted in a May 14 MassLive article, “Harvard ‘failed to respond’ to 450 discrimination complaints. Staff hand-delivered [...]
Swarthmore Students Are Learning: It Was Never About Palestinian Rights
May 14, 2025
Students at Swarthmore College are so close to understanding the conflict. An article in the Swarthmore Phoenix details the frustrations of student activists with the college’s Students for Justice in Palestine. The gist of their criticism is [...]
AFP Arabic Stops Mislabeling Northern Israeli Communities ‘Settlements”
August 10, 2021
A view of Metulla, northern Israel (Photo by Hadar Sela)After failing to set the record straight last May when Agence France Presse's Arabic service repeatedly referred to Jewish communities in northern Israel as "settlements," the [...]
NY Times Praises Ilhan Omar’s Book While Glossing Over Her Antisemitism
August 19, 2020
A recent New York Times book review boosts Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) autobiography while glossing over her antisemitism. In the paper’s Aug. 16, 2020 edition, NYT reporter Christina Cauterucci writes: The memoir offers breathing room [...]
When TV Interviews of Ilhan Omar Constitute Journalistic Malpractice
August 11, 2020
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) documented animosity toward Jews and Israel was ignored in recent interviews by MSNBC and C-SPAN. MSNBC’s The Beat for July 23, 2020 included host Ari Melber’s 10-minute conversation at 6:16 [...]
Boston TV Station WCVB Teamed Up With Terrorist Supporter CAIR
July 7, 2020
WCVB-TV (channel 5) (Boston’s ABC network affiliate) recently misled area viewers about a matter involving antisemitic propaganda. This occurred on its local Sunday show Cityline hosted by Karen Holmes Ward who is described by the [...]
Harper’s Magazine Echoed Palestinian Propaganda Condemning Israel And America
June 2, 2020
Writing in Harper's, Kevin Baker condemns the U.S. Middle East peace plan [“The Striking Gesture,” Easy Chair, May 2020], mischaracterizing it as, “Give up all your [Palestinian] hopes and your holiest places, embark on a [...]