The New York Times is at it again, using its “news” section to attack Israel ahead of President Obama’s visit. In Sunday’s front-page article, the Gray Lady claims that Israel has destroyed the peace process by building apartments in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hope will be the capital of their state.
Where to begin? First, when was the last time the New York Times published a front-page story on Hamas’ slaughter of innocent Israeli men, women, and children? Hamas rules the Gaza Strip and is overwhelmingly popular with the Palestinian people. It strikes me that Hamas’ use of suicide attacks, terrorism, and deadly rockets to murder Israelis might be at least as deserving of a front-page story as some Israeli construction projects.
It also strikes me that these acts of terror and violence are the true reason there is no peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. In case the folks at the Times have forgotten, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered to create a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The “moderate” Mahmoud Abbas walked away from this proposal.
Instead, Abbas asked the United Nations to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state, and Hamas continues to launch acts of terror and violence against Israel. Talk is cheap. Actions are important. And for all of the Palestinian complaints against Israel, the Palestinians have made no effort to achieve peace. The attacks against Israel continue. Abbas’ establishment of a functional government in the West Bank is only indicative of a desire for a Palestinian state, not of a desire for a peace agreement.
Surely providing for Israel’s security is more important to a peace agreement than new Israeli housing, which could always be torn down or evacuated. (Don’t think this is possible? Talk to settlers who were evicted during the Gaza evacuation.)
This is not to say that the Israeli action is entirely responsible. It is indeed a provocation and it is unhelpful for peace, but the Times fails to mention that the construction is occurring in response to the continued effort by the Palestinians to work against peace — via terror, violence, and stunts like the U.N. statehood bid. Israel is certainly not blameless in its treatment of Palestinians. But the moral equivalency shown by the New York Times is simply appalling.
The New York Times has a history of distorting facts and using its news section to wage war against Israel, specifically Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For example, the Times erroneously reported that Netanyahu was trying to meddle in the U.S. election and had given special briefs to Governor Mitt Romney (Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren thoroughly exposed the Times’ distortions and deceptiveness).
