Daily Alert Archives

New York Times "Cooked" Secretary Rice's Statements on Pressing Israel for Further Concessions

Alex Safian (CAMERA) - * On Aug. 18, New York Times reporters Joel Brinkley and Steven Weisman quote Secretary of State Rice as follows: "Everyone empathizes with what the Israelis are facing," Ms. Rice said in an interview. But she added, "It cannot be Gaza only." * Here's what she actually said: "The question has been put repeatedly to the Israelis and to us that it cannot be Gaza only and everybody says no, it cannot be Gaza only." What the Times portrays as Rice's statement was actually her recounting of what others are saying "to the Israelis and to us." That's a far cry from immediate pressure on Israel to go beyond the Gaza withdrawal, which is what "It cannot be Gaza only" clearly means in this context. * Even more deceptive was this passage in the Times report: "While she noted that the withdrawal would take several weeks to play out, soon after that, she insisted, Israel must take further steps." * This is an absolute invention by the Times - there is no passage in the actual interview that could be read as the Secretary "insisting" that "soon after" the Gaza withdrawal "Israel must take further steps."
2005-08-31 00:00:00
Full Article