Israel Matzav

The New York Times reinforces 'Palestinian' intransigence

In a letter (they didn't even let him write an op-ed!), Jonathan Peled, spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, responds to last Saturday's nasty New York Times editorial (Hat Tip: Daily Alert).

In effect, this misdirected onus reinforces the Palestinian Authority’s tactic of stalling and avoiding. Mr. Netanyahu has repeatedly called for negotiating a peace agreement without preconditions, emphasizing comprehensive direct talks that place all issues on the table with the aim of reaching an end of the conflict. Pre-empting the negotiations with demands will render the process redundant and detract from the real issues.

The prime minister, who traveled to New York to hold an extensive meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, is, in fact, placing peace over politics in hopes of bringing the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Israel’s coalition government requires cabinet approval of a construction moratorium in the West Bank, and for Mr. Netanyahu to attain that support, he must do so against the backdrop of the recent 10-month moratorium squandered by the Palestinians.

Neglecting to place any burden on the Palestinian Authority only enables its leadership to remain on the sidelines and continue to waste valuable time.

I think psychologists would refer to the Times as 'enablers.'

The picture is the insufferable Tom Friedman, who also penned an anti-Israel article in the Times this week (I can't blog everything!).

Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Jonathan Peled, New York Times, Palestinian intransigence

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:49 PM