The NYT has an op-ed by none other than Muamar Qaddafi, in which he invents an imaginary history of the Jews and the Arabs, and explains that peace in this land will be achieved only by creating a state shared by Jews and Palestinians. Isratine, he calls it. I cannot say what prompted Qaddafi to write the column, or what role it plays in intra-Arab politics.
Most people at the NYT probably disagree with his positions, as do most readers (though it's interesting to note that the article is second on the list of popular articles). The editors of the paper will trot out the standard boilerplate about giving a platform to all opinions including the ones they really don't like, so that their readers can judge for themselves etc. etc. None of which can change the fact that the most important newspaper in the United States has published an article calling for the destruction of the Jewish State.
Yaacov: I just wanted to thank you for your "ruminations" here. Leah sent me a link to this blog and I'm really enjoying it thus far!
ReplyDeleteJaacov,
ReplyDeletedid you realize that in his article he confirmed the Isreali narrative about the non existent expulsion of the Palestinians? Maybe he didn't read the works of Ilan Pappe?
I cannot say what prompted Qaddafi to write the column,
ReplyDeleteOil price down?
Judith
A useful sentence in the strange Qaddafi piece in the NY Times is this:
ReplyDelete"It is important to note that the Jews did not forcibly expel Palestinians."
The testimony of a veteran Arab-leaguer, who is surely very familiar with the exhortations by Arab leaders to Arab Palestinians to leave Israel in 1948 might be useful in some circles.
Curious, huh...second most popular?!
ReplyDeleteThat what has been written and published is asinine, bigoted, and ignorant doesn't escape the attention of any intelligent person...as neither does it that the newspaper knew that it could 'get away with what was said'.
We've been there before, haven't we?...too, too many times.
...and besides, from the direction that the Sultzberger family chose ever so long ago, this was inevitable, no?
dnako