The travesty of the New York Times’ coverage and opinion pieces on Israel is now so well known that it seems hardly worth mentioning any longer. Still, every once in a while the farce–actually, the lying by omission–is so blatant that I can’t resist.
Haaretz: In the front page of its April 5th online English language edition:
A story on Israel drastically cutting electrical power to Hebron, supposedly for nonpayment of debts to the Israeli government (Palestinians have to buy much of their electricity from Israel, since Israel has deliberately destroyed much of the electrical system of the occupied territories).
One despairing editorial and five oped columns on various other manifestations of the collapse of the Light Unto the Nations into darkness.
On this same date the New York Times did have one story on Israel: “Israeli Military’s Spring-Cleaning Call: Return Our Gear, Please,” on the efforts of the Israeli army to get former soldiers to return military “equipment” they had kept when they left the service: such as old uniforms, sleeping bags, helmets and the like, as well as weaponry. The writer of the story–Isabel Kershner, naturally–comments that the army program sought to play on the “collective nostalgia” of former conscripts.
Some weeks ago , The Irish times featured an article by their reporter in Israel , Mark Weiss ( allegedly a resident of the illegal settlements) about the return ,??? , (They had never been there ) of “17” Yemeni Jews to Israel.This in the same week when 5 or 6 Palestinians were shot dead by the IOF , a story that never saw ink..Apparently the Irish times believes it,s readers are more interested in this momentous and happy occasion and do not wish to be troubled with the assassination of young Palestinians who are , (alledgedly )driven to acts of violence due to decades of oppression and colonialism.
Would,t want people getting the wrong idea about the so called Light unto the Nations and most moral army, Hmmm.
So when Isabel Kershner, er, sorry, Marie Antoinette says, “Let them eat cake.” do readers view that as a simple dietary suggestion or haughty ambivalence demonstrating a complete lack of empathy leading to a rather sticky end?
Yes, the NYT published a Kershner article on the efforts of the Israeli army to get some former soldiers to return property that isn’t rightfully theirs. The article includes, without noting any irony whatsoever, two photos of the Israeli military in the annexed Golan Heights.
The Washington Post finally reported today that Israel had turned the power back on, after the Palestinian Authority had paid up.