Saturday, September 10, 2011

is the New York Times coming around?

The New York Times has employed Ethan Bronner as its correspondent in Israel for some time. His son is in the Israeli Defense Forces and his stories have never been such to cause unhappiness among the supporters of Israel.

Lately, though, the NYT has been slipping in recognition of the Palestinian viewpoint. Recently it published the anti-occupation lyrics sung by some of those who disrupted the performance of the Israeli orchestra in London.

Today, Sunday, there is a story that describes how Israel is finding itself isolated and under siege. It's a routine Bronner telling, but in the second to last paragraph comes this:

"But as the months of Arab Spring have turned autumnal, Israel has increasingly become a target of public outrage. Some here say Israel is again being made a scapegoat, this time for unfulfilled revolutionary promises.

But there is another interpretation, and it is the predominant one abroad — Muslims, Arabs and indeed many around the globe believe Israel is unjustly occupying Palestinian territories, and they are furious at Israel for it. And although some Israelis pointed fingers at Islamicization as the cause of the violence, Egyptians noted Saturday that Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, distanced themselves from Friday’s protests and did not attend, while legions of secular-minded soccer fans were at the forefront of the embassy attacks."


This is a clear statement of the foundation of outrage against Israel that has been present for decades, though it still hedges by saying "many around the globe" instead of "everyone around the world except Zionists". Who approves of armed robbery but those who gain by it? But it's progress for the NYT that I'm glad to see.

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