Electronic Intifada : Letters to the Media

Don't take right to education for granted

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:13:00 PST

In your article "A model for EU-Israel integration" published in the English online version of Haaretz (17 January 2007), you argue that a closer relationship between the EU and Israel in the field of scientific and academic exchange would be of mutual interest for EU and Israeli citizens, as well as for its research communities and consumers. Building on the successful European experience of encouraging research collaboration and financially supporting those who want to study or research abroad, you are inviting Israeli researchers to apply for and participate in the new Seventh Framework Programme that will be funded with 55 billion Euros.

Dennis Ross' curious maps problem

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 18:32:00 PST

Dennis Ross's ["Don't Play With Maps," 9 January 2007, The New York Times] concern over President Carter's use of maps in Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid is curious. The first of the maps on page 148 does indeed resemble an Israeli map -- one presented at Eilat in May 2000. The Palestinians rejected it categorically then. Perhaps it was also presented in July 2000 at Camp David. That Israel should have presented it at all shows audacity -- and little Israeli interest in peace. That it might have been presented again boggles the mind.

New York Times joins slander campaign against Carter book

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:16:00 PST

The New York Times has now joined the slander campaign against President Jimmy Carter following the release of his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. (The paper gets the title wrong -- there's a colon.) Just how ignorant does the Times think its readers are? All of the "critics" cited -- Kenneth Stein, Alan Dershowitz, David Makovsky and the Wiesenthal Center -- are unqualified apologists for Israel and its occupation. The paper claims that Stein's "criticism is the latest in a growing chorus of academics who have taken issue with the book". What chorus can the Times have in mind if the only critics it can find just happen to be pro-Israel anti-Arabists?

Lee Kaplan's distortions

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 13:50:00 PST

Reading Lee Kaplan's various articles, in a variety of publications over the last several months, on the supposed links between organizations that work for Palestinian freedom, my primary reaction is how severely and routinely they are riddled with basic factual errors. He clearly knows next to nothing about what he is writing about. Where there is not error, there is speculation that bases its trajectory on error... One obvious reason that has given rise to all of this is that Kaplan has never once picked up the phone to ask myself or anyone else at EI the usual questions that journalists are supposed to ask before they put pen to paper.

Israel and Apartheid South Africa: A response to Guardian series on the relationship between the two

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 10:32:00 PST

Last week, The Guardian (UK) published a two-part series by its reporter Chris McGreal comparing Israeli policies vis-a-vis its own Palestinian citizens and those living under its occupation in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza Strip to that of apartheid-era South Africa. The following is a letter to The Guardian editor from a peace activist who has been a part of society and the struggle for human rights in both countries who finds that the questions posed by The Guardian necessary for ensuring a truly secure future.

Israeli apologia in the Sunday New York Times

Wed, 27 Apr 2005 18:16:00 PST

"Daniel Okrent's attempt at further Israeli apologia in the Sunday NY Times ("The Hottest Button: How the Times Covers Israel and Palestine", April 24, 2005), in which he pretends to summarize the 'criticisms' of the paper of record, conveniently ignoring the crucial aspect of anti-Arabism visible throughout regular Times reports." Dane Baker submitted this response to the article in New York Times.

Star Tribune praises President Bush's commitment to a human rights violation

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 17:03:00 PST

The Star Tribune's editorial ("Aiding Abbas", Feb 12th) lauded President Bush's "remarkable new initiative, a $350 million fund for Palestinian humanitarian and security projects, which would give the peace process important new momentum." The problem is that part of the money is earmarked for human rights violations. Glenn Kessler noted in the Feb 6th Washington Post, that "A White House official said $50 million of the $350 million that Bush announced in his State of the Union address to 'support Palestinian political, economic, and security reforms' could be given to Israel for [checkpoint] terminals because faster passage through Israeli checkpoints is presumed to be a help to the Palestinian economy." EI's Nigel Parry challenged the Star Tribune in this unpublished letter.

Palestinian Authority election excludes most Palestinians

Sun, 09 Jan 2005 11:09:00 PST

EI's Ali Abunimah responds to an editorial in Ha'aretz, and points out that the majority of Palestinians, those living in exile, were not permitted to participate in the Palestinian Authority election, and that "a Palestinian Authority leader preselected by the international community on the basis of his willingness to surrender to Israel's insatiable demands, and not elected by the vast majority of Palestinians, has absolutely no mandate to negotiate away our rights and will never be able to do so."

Challenging NPR's cunningly worded "correction"

Thu, 06 Jan 2005 23:00:00 PST

On Morning Edition on 6 January 2005, NPR issued the following correction: "In a story about upcoming Palestinian elections, Presidential candidate Mahmoud Abbas was quoted as labeling Israel as the "Zionist enemy." We could have given more context for his statement. We said it was in response to violence, but did not specify that the violence was an Israeli tank shell that killed seven Palestinians." In a letter to Jeffrey Dvorkin, National Public Radio's Ombudsman, Nigel Parry challenges NPR's cunningly worded correction.

NPR hides an atrocity but highlights the reaction

Tue, 04 Jan 2005 12:51:00 PST

NPR's Morning Edition featured a report about the upcoming election for Palestinian Authority president in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The report highlighted that PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas described Israel as the "Zionist enemy," but omitted any mention of the context -- reaction to the killing that day of seven Palestinian children by Israeli occupation forces in the northern Gaza Strip. This continues a pattern of bias long-documented in NPR's reporting.

New York Times coverage of Arafat's death

Fri, 12 Nov 2004 08:39:00 PST

The New York Times's coverage of the death of Arafat, particularly with its November 12th Op-Ed essays, exemplifies what is so wrong with American perspectives of the Palestinian struggle for independence. What voices are missing? Palestinian ones. This is the recurring problem of American and European approaches to the Middle East. Arab voices are systematically undervalued, discounted, or actively suppressed -- not just by their own autocrats but also by Westerners claiming to be acting "in Arabs' best interests", as if the Arabs were children needing a Western parent.

The UN should investigate Falluja, but not like Jenin

Fri, 16 Apr 2004 07:50:00 PST

In a letter published in the Guardian, EI's Ali Abunimah corrects the record about the UN's "investigation" of Israel's invasion of Jenin.

Colorado College Republican leader mischaracterizes EI

Wed, 14 Apr 2004 07:34:00 PST

The chairman of the Colorado State University College Republicans mischaracterizes EI's reporting about McDonald's Israel's racist policies. In a response published in The Rocky Mountain Collegian, EI's Ali Abunimah sets the record straight.

Response to Benny Morris' "Politics by other means" in the New Republic

Tue, 30 Mar 2004 10:56:00 PST

In a 17 March 2004 article, "Politics by Other Means", Benny Morris offered a "review" of Ilan Pappe's new book, A History of Modern Palestine; one land, two peoples (Cambridge University Press, 2003), which tells the history of Palestine from the point of view of its workers, peasants, children, women and all the subaltern groups that make the society and not its political elite. Morris' "review" consisted of a series of ad hominem attacks and outright factual distortions. Ilan Pappe sent the following reply to the New Republic, who refused to publish it.

Letter to NPR about its coverage of the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin

Mon, 22 Mar 2004 18:02:00 PST

"Like most American media organizations (and some international ones with a reputation for caving to Israeli pressure), NPR is largely avoiding the term "assassination". In an interview during the 7 am segment, Peter Kenyon slavishly uses the expression 'targeted killing', foisted upon journalists by Israeli government propagandists. Why? (And bystanders were also killed -- does NPR claim they were also 'targetedly [sic] killed'?)." Hugh Sansom, a regular writer to NPR, forwarded this letter to EI.

Response to "Events Explore Middle East Controversy"

Fri, 20 Feb 2004 09:44:00 PST

Rabbi David Rosenberg of the Newberger Hillel Center complained that a February 12 panel about the separation barrier Israel is building on occupied Palestinian land was unbalanced because "no campus group or outside group that is known to be supportive of Israel was extended an invitation to cosponsor" and that "no speaker has been chosen who will articulate why Israel might have chosen to have built a fence" But what does Rosenberg really mean when he calls for balance? None of the Israel-related events that the Rabbi's organization has endorsed or promoted reveal any attempt to live up to the lofty standard he proposes. Benjamin J Doherty writes to the Chicago Maroon.

Response to NYT: 'Lost Tribe' Finds Itself on Front Lines of Mideast Conflict"

Mon, 22 Dec 2003 13:16:00 PST

In an article about Israel's importing immigrants from India into an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank, the New York Times' Greg Myre, writes "Amishav, the group that champions the Bnei Menashe, wants to bring all 6,000 of them to Israel." While the article is clear that the new settlers are being located on Palestinian land, the term "Israel" is clearly inappropriately used in editorial comment. Partners for Peace's Michael Brown comments on this in a letter to the NYT, and makes the point that "bumping desperate people up against one another like this is the height of irresponsibility."

The first Americans killed in Gaza?

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 23:56:00 PST

A reader of the Independent of London complains that a headline contained misinformation.

Persistent Partners for Peace squeezes a correction out of the New York Times Magazine

Sun, 14 Sep 2003 11:33:00 PST

A Partners for Peace letter was published in the New York Times Magazine of September 14, 2003. The letter appeared after weeks of effort to have the Magazine acknowledge that the illegal settlement of Har Homa (Jabal Abu Ghneim) is not part of Israel. Michael Brown reports.

Response to National Post editorial of 20 August 2003

Tue, 02 Sep 2003 10:54:00 PST

Regarding the editorial, "Another reason to build the fence: Separating Israel from the West Bank will help prevent attacks such as yesterday's bus bombing" (20 Aug), The National Post has missed the point entirely. The Post argues that a description of Israel's Wall on our website as "a colonial project that embodies within it the long-term policy of occupation, discrimination and expulsion" was "nonsensical" and that Israel is building the Wall "to protect its citizens from terrorists based in the West Bank". EI's Nigel Parry wrote this letter in response to an editorial in the National Post (Canada).