Joel Brinkley, a former New York Times reporter now teaching at Stanford, is given space in the San Francisco Chronicle to attack UN special rapporteur, Richard Falk, lately-expelled from Israel, as a nutter because he has given credence to 9/11 conspiracy theories. Then at the end Brinkley lets his slip show:
I do care that the man whose job now is to help the Islamic states
pursue their vendetta against Israel also believes that the U.S.
government is capable of such unspeakable evil.
pursue their vendetta against Israel also believes that the U.S.
government is capable of such unspeakable evil.
While Falk is given space, in Europe of course, to state the heart of the matter:
Israel had all along accused me of bias and of making inflammatory
charges relating to the occupation of Palestinian territories. I deny
that I am biased, but rather insist that I have tried to be truthful in
assessing the facts and relevant law. It is the character of the
occupation that gives rise to sharp criticism of Israel's approach,
especially its harsh blockade of Gaza, resulting in the collective
punishment of the 1.5 million inhabitants. By attacking the observer
rather than what is observed, Israel plays a clever mind game. It
directs attention away from the realities of the occupation, practising
effectively a politics of distraction.
charges relating to the occupation of Palestinian territories. I deny
that I am biased, but rather insist that I have tried to be truthful in
assessing the facts and relevant law. It is the character of the
occupation that gives rise to sharp criticism of Israel's approach,
especially its harsh blockade of Gaza, resulting in the collective
punishment of the 1.5 million inhabitants. By attacking the observer
rather than what is observed, Israel plays a clever mind game. It
directs attention away from the realities of the occupation, practising
effectively a politics of distraction.
One and a half million Palestinians in an open-air prison, and the American press talks about 9/11 conspiracies… As for vendettas, the Arab states are virtually unanimous in saying there will be peace
if Israel withdraws to the '67 border, thereby giving Palestinians a
mere 22 percent of historic Palestine. (Thanks to Ira Glunts.)
