Pogrom

Yesterday’s New York Times report on the rising violence in occupied West Bank Palestine is an insult to our intelligence. The paper could not ignore the latest Israeli settler/colonist pogrom against Palestinians, but reporters Patrick Kingsley and Isabel Kershner used time-honored techniques to downplay its seriousness and the responsibility for it. The article’s most dishonest feature was that it buried the most alarming news — Israeli government military complicity in the ferocious attacks — down in paragraph 26. Here’s the relevant section: Asked why the Israeli Army did not prevent the settler violence, and even stood by as some attacks took place, a military official, who requested anonymity in line with protocol, acknowledged mistakes and said commanders had not expected the settlers to fan out through Huwara’s back streets instead of remaining on the main thoroughfare.