Op-Ed
Article on Palestinian leader’s speech highly biased
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To the Editor:
I was disappointed in Masha Rifkin’s article “Palestinian Leader Promotes Peace” on the Bailey Hall appearance of Dr. Hanan Ashrawi. It suggests that Rifkin is biased in favor of Israel.
For example, when reporting that Dr. Ashrawi frequently said that what is needed in Palestine is an end of the occupation, Rifkin adds quotation marks to the word “occupation,” a manner that suggests that the “occupation” is not a real occupation. In fact, it has continued for 40 years, and the entire world, as well as some Israeli politicians and media, refer to it as an occupation. Rifkin is wrong to use quotation marks in order to suggest that what exists is not a bona fide occupation. If it is not an occupation (without quotes), what is it?
She introduces information from third parties (the Embassy of Israel and Forbes) who clearly have strong biases, apparently obtained from her research or prior knowledge, but fails to cite other relevant information that would give her readers a more balanced view. First, she recites Israeli casualty figures from the Embassy with no mention of Palestinian and Lebanese casualties. An objective reporter would include both, or is Rifkin asking us to believe that only Israel has suffered losses?
Similarly, in what certainly looks like an effort to criticize some innocuous favorable comments of Dr. Ashrawi about Yasser Arafat, she tells us that Forbes magazine says that Arafat was worth $1.3 billion when he died. Forbes is a right wing publication that strongly supports the administration and Washington’s favoritism for Israel. Forbes’ claim about Arafat’s wealth is virtually impossible to prove or disprove — did Forbes get a copy of his will or a certified statement from the executor of Arafat’s estate? As I recall, there was not even agreement on the cause of his death. Just because a magazine reports something, does it become news, and by suggestion, the truth? In fairness to Dr. Ashrawi, Rifkin could have told us that Dr. Ashrawi resigned from Arafat’s cabinet in 1998 in protest against PLO corruption and his handling of the peace process.
Rifkin inaccurately mentions the wall “being built in Israel” to separate the Palestinian territories from Israel. The wall is not being built in Israel; it is mainly being built in Israel but portions intrude into the territories. Both international and Israeli courts have questioned such intrusions.
I do not question Rifkin’s right to express her views on these difficult issues, but urge that she do a better job in separating news from opinion and in providing relevant information to her readers so that they can fully evaluate her reports.
Ron Demer '59
Was Israel occupying the
Was Israel occupying the "occupied territories" when it was suddenly and brutally attacked by the surrounding Arab states in 1948 and again in 1967? Did it or did it not recently pull out unilaterally from occupied territory in Southern Lebanon and Gaza? What were the results of these pullouts? Has Israel not made FOUR offers to return to its pre-1967 borders in exchange for peace?
Here you go Ron, a non
Here you go Ron, a non "right wing" source corroborating Arafat's obscene and stolen wealth:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/07/60minutes/main582487.shtml
"Yasser Arafat diverted nearly $1 billion in public funds to insure his political survival, but a lot more is unaccounted for.
Jim Prince and a team of American accountants - hired by Arafat's own finance ministry - are combing through Arafat's books. Given what they've already uncovered, Arafat may be rethinking the decision. Lesley Stahl reports.
"What is Mr. Arafat and the Palestinian Authority worth today?" asks accountant Jim Prince. "Who is controlling that money? Where is that money? How do we get it back?"
So far, Prince's team has determined that part of the Palestinian leader's wealth was in a secret portfolio worth close to $1 billion -- with investments in companies like a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Ramallah, a Tunisian cell phone company and venture capital funds in the U.S. and the Cayman Islands.
Although the money for the portfolio came from public funds like Palestinian taxes, virtually none of it was used for the Palestinian people; it was all controlled by Arafat. And, Prince says, none of these dealings were made public. "