The Times Gets Israel Wrong Again—And Why It Matters

Evelyn Gordon
Commentary/Contentions
26 May ’11

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/05/26/the-times-gets-israel-wrong-again—and-why-it-matters/

The New York Times is certain it knows exactly what Israelis think of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s U.S. visit: “Israelis see Netanyahu trip as diplomatic failure,” it proclaimed in a headline yesterday. The story asserted “a nearly unanimous assessment among Israelis that despite his forceful defense of Israel’s security interests, hopes were dashed that his visit might advance peace negotiations with the Palestinians.”

One can easily see how correspondent Ethan Bronner reached this conclusion: As he correctly reported, Israeli “newspapers and airwaves were filled with similar commentary.”

But it’s utterly refuted by the lead story in today’s Haaretz, the Times’s very own Israeli partner, which details the unequivocal verdict of a new poll: Ordinary Israelis—as opposed to the exclusive club of journalists, academics and leftist politicians who dominate the newspapers and airwaves—considered the visit a rousing success.