The New York Times is at it again. In an article about President Obama’s mild criticism of Israel’s plans to build more settlements in occupied Palestine, the newspaper said:
Despite their efforts to build mutual trust, Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu seem to keep talking past each other. On Tuesday, they were worlds apart in symbolism as well as substance: the president voiced his criticism of Israel while on a visit to Jakarta, capital of the world’s most populous Muslim country.
On examination, this paragraph – in what purports to be a news article — is quite astonishing. Here’s the implication:
* The Muslim world is a bloc, which by its very nature, its essence, opposes Israel.
* If you want to promote peace in Israel/Palestine, you don’t encourage this Muslim bloc by “criticizing” Israel while you are in the “capital of the world’s most populous Muslim country.”
And just exactly what was Obama’s incendiary statement, uttered in the enemy capital?
When asked in about Israel’s plans for 1,000 housing units for a contested part of East Jerusalem, Mr. Obama said, “This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations.”
