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‘NYT Book Review’ owes readers an apology for printing blatant racism about Palestinians

New York Times headquarters. (Photo: Wikipedia)
New York Times headquarters. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Two weeks back, the New York Times Book Review ran a favorable review by Joseph Dorman of John Judis’s book Genesis, about Truman and the creation of Israel. Yesterday the Times Book Review ran one letter about the review objecting to its positive treatment of Judis’s book. Here is the letter’s second paragraph:

To the Editor….

The “conflict” between Arabs and Jews is not the result of the “Zionist lobby” preventing the United States from enforcing “peace.” Left unsaid is the extent to which such a “peace” may imperil the survival of Israel, although that is a likely goal of “Zionist lobby” detractors. The “conflict” exists because, by word and deed, Palestinian Arabs have avowed as their goal the killing of all Jews. The Jews have decided they will not be killed. It will not be resolved until Palestinians stop teaching their children to hate.

WALTER SCHIMMERLING
WASHINGTON

The New York Times would not permit any other group of people on earth to be blood-libeled like this– even in a letter to the editor.

Mr. Schimmerling is entitled to his view of John Judis’s (excellent) book.  He is not entitled to lie that “Palestinian Arabs have avowed as their goal the killing of all Jews.”

The Times must apologize to all its readers, especially to those who are “Palestinian Arabs,” and the newspaper should also reprimand the editor who allowed this libel to get into print.

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Freudian Projection much?

The Blood libel allegation followed other crimes for which the Islamic medieval nations were co-complicit:

“Perhaps the widespread fear that Jews were scheming to abduct children, subjecting them to cruel rituals, even antedates the appearance of stereotypical ritual murder which seems to have originated in the 12th century. As for myself, I believe that serious consideration should be given to the possibility that this fear was largely related to the slave trade, particularly in the 9th and 10th centuries, when the Jewish role in the slave trade appears to have been preponderant.

During this period, Jewish merchants, from the cities in the valley of the Rhône, Verdun, Lione, Arles and Narbonne, in addition to Aquisgrana, the capital of the empire in the times of Louis the Pious [Louis I]; and in Germany from the centres of the valley of the Rhine, from Worms, Magonza and Magdeburg; in Bavaria and Bohemia, from Regensburg and Prague—were active in the principal markets in which slaves (women, men, eunuchs) were offered for sale, by Jews, sometimes after abducting them from their houses. From Christian Europe the human merchandise was exported to the Islamic lands of Spain, in which there was a lively market. The castration of these slaves, particularly children, raised their prices, and was no doubt a lucrative and profitable practice.”
Pasque di sangue: Ebrei d’Europa e omicidi rituali (Blood Passovers: European Jews and Ritual Murder) (Bologna, Italy: Il Mulino, 2007), [by Israeli medievalist] Ariel Toaff

Obviously Mr. Schimmerling displays his hatred for Palestinians, and has taken an opportunity to spew the Israeli narrative, in a rather unprofessional way. Apologists may claim that Palestinian Arabs have avowed as their goal the killing of all Jews, but right now casualty numbers show it is the Israeli side that is inflicting the most casualties, every time,and as of this day, 18 Palestinians have been killed this year,
some by their detested fences, including a mentally ill woman.
Makes you wonder what Mr. Schimmerling is talking about, and if he realizes actions speak louder than words.

“The New York Times would not permit any other group of people on earth to be blood-libeled like this– even in a letter to the editor.”

Let’s look at this from the positive side: what other group is also allowed to form a U.S. political lobby group and not have it register as representing a foreign agent? What other group’s leaders views themselves as judge, jury and executioner when it comes to protecting the interests of a foreign State? What other group uses personal ad homenim attacks to casually smear people whose opinions they disagree with? What other group is so powerful that they can force Congress to seriously debate the benefits of the USA attacking Iran? What other group is capable of silencing the U.S. main stream corporate media from seriously debating the tactics of a foreign regime that wants to privilege one group at the expense of another? What other group threatens financial sanctions and legal prosecutions to U.S. Colleges and their students who dare attempt to openly debate the occupation policies of a foreign State? The list just goes on and on.

LOL. Irony much? Let me know when you’re willing to condemn the blatant racism printed here about Israelis.