Israel Matzav

What a shock: Newsweek reporter who accused Israel of 'unprecedented spying' 'has a history'

What a surprise. Jeff Stein, the Newsweek reporter who accused Israel of 'unprecedented spying' on the US - including a claim that an Israeli agent was caught in an air conditioning duct at Jerusalem's King David Hotel (pictured) - 'has a history' of anti-Israel activity.

Last year, in his blog SpyTalk, Stein commented on the potential nomination of then-Congresswoman Jane Harman to head the CIA: “Congress is already Israeli-occupied territory.  The last thing Washington needs is to cede another settlement in Langley.” The idea that Israel or Jews control or occupy the American government is common trope of anti-Semites.

The problem with Stein’s reporting isn’t limited to his own judgments, but also his choice of sources. One source he used is Philip Giraldi. Giraldi is a writer for the Council for the National Interest, a Washington-based anti-Israel organization. In one of his recent analyses, Giraldi referred to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as an “Israel-firster,” adopting the language of those who consider supporters of Israel to be suspect of disloyalty to the U.S.

Another source for Stein is a website, the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep). The website describes one of sections the “Israel Lobby Archive” as documenting “one of the most harmful forces driving policy formulation in the U.S. political process.”

Stein, in his own words and his choice of sources, shows himself to be not merely a critic of Israel but someone who believes that support for Israel is inimical to the interests of the United States.

For those wondering about the air conditioning duct story, the hotel manager assures us that a cat could not fit in there. 

Labels: Al Gore, Amos Yadlin, anti-Israel media bias, Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Edward Snowden, Jonathan Pollard, spying

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:13 AM