Media Analysis

‘NYT’ columnist says Biden won’t be a ‘troublemaker’– when Israel needs to kill Palestinian children

We have frequently questioned why The New York Times ran four columns justifying Israel’s slaughter of 250+ nonviolent Palestinian protesters in 2018 with no one ever held to account. One of those columns, by Israeli rightwinger Shmuel Rosner, expressed raw anti-Palestinian bias in blaming the victims for protesting their own imprisonment in the sights of Israeli snipers across the fence:

Guarding the border was more important [for Israel] than avoiding killing…

Why so many thousands of Gazans decided to approach that fence, even though they were warned that such acts would be lethal, is beyond comprehension…

This week Rosner is back up to his old tricks. He has a column in the Times, praising Joe Biden as Israel’s best friend in the Democratic Party because Biden is a committed Zionist who won’t be a “troublemaker” like Barack Obama when Israel uses force.

Rosner explains that Israelis love Trump and they “worry” about American leaders who might question Israeli settlements, because Israel relies on U.S. support.

We worried about what Bill Clinton might do, because he was relatively unknown. We worried about what George W. Bush might do, because he was the son of a previous president with whom the Israeli government had troubles. We worried about what Mr. Obama might do, because of the views he expressed…

Biden is a known quantity, who loves Israel and Netanyahu, Rosner says. The downside is that the Democratic Party is unreliable and Biden opposed settlements a couple of times when he was veep to Obama, who was a “troublemaker” in Israeli eyes.

The Obama administration once suspended a shipment of Hellfire missiles to Israel because it was displeased with Israel’s use of force in Gaza..

Displeased by use of force? That brief suspension took place during Israel’s assault on Gaza six years ago, when it killed 2000, including 521 children.

Mr. Biden understands Israel’s concerns. He understands the need to use force…

It’s bad enough that the Times regularly publishes an Israeli mouthpiece for Netanyahu and the settlements enterprise, one who demands America’s blind support– with no one even on the other side of Israeli politics, let alone an anti-Zionist. Rosner applauds Donald Trump and the moving of the U.S. embassy and the trashing of the Iran deal, and when he speaks of Israelis, he means only Jewish Israelis, leaving out the Palestinian minority.

What’s beyond comprehension is that an Israeli writer who holds anti-Palestinian views to the point of regularly justifying their killing has a platform at the New York Times when the U.S. is struggling with structural racism. That says a lot about the American mainstream’s backing of Israel, and why Biden can get away with stripping the word occupation from the Democratic Party platform.

Thanks to Donald Johnson.

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And in Harris he appears to have a pro-Israel soulmate. The election will presumably be usual competition in promising Israel everything.

Mr. Rosner’s mother should be ashamed of herself for raising such an evil human being. The NYT should be ashamed for printing such obscene sentiments.

“Guarding the border was more important [for Israel] than avoiding killing…”

“Why so many thousands of Gazans decided to approach that fence, even though they were warned that such acts would be lethal, is beyond comprehension…”

Spoken like a true fascist!! It is Shmuel Rosner who is “beyond comprehension…”

Obviously, he is unfamiliar with history. Otherwise, he would realize that “Israel’s” greatest weakness is its utter dependence on the United States, a declining power rapidly approaching bankruptcy.

I had the unique displeasure of a long one-on-one with Mr. Rosner a few years ago, while driving him back to his hotel in L.A. I found him to be dogmatic, evasive, mendacious, and unpleasant. He was not used to being challenged on the facts and on his ideological rigidity. I’m so happy knowing that he will not soon forget it, and henceforth take a paid for ride rather than mistake a “fellow Jew” as an automatic ally in racist / fascist attitudes, from which he doesn’t waver.

The article mentions the New York Times stories of the killings of Palestinians in 2018 and Rosner’s defense of it (guarding the border!). Well, on the topic of guarding the border this is so weird I originally thought it was put up by a Russian hacker, but it seems to be true:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/thousands-of-palestinians-enter-israel-illegally-authorities-turn-blind-eye/

“Thousands of Palestinians enter Israel, head to beaches; soldiers turn blind eye…
For a week, West Bank families have been going to Israeli beaches, crossing illegally via holes in border fence, as authorities ignore trend, or even aid entry…”
https://themedialine.org/by-region/as-soldiers-look-other-way-palestinians-pour-into-israel-to-relax/

“As Soldiers Look Other Way, Palestinians Pour into Israel to Relax…”

Apparently the border doesn’t need to be guarded all the time….