Thread by @DSchwammenthal

1/13 As a former opinion page writer, I tip my hat to the @nytimes @nytopinion for this strong, self-examining editorial. It didn't though answer all the questions while raising new ones. I hope the editors will consider this thread as they move forward.
nytimes.com/2019/04/30/opi…

2/13 You write the cartoon was chosen by just one editor. But why took it senior management three days to say "sorry" and to unequivocally condemn it as anti-Semitic?

3/13 You say "some criticism of Israel, as the cartoon demonstrated, is couched openly in anti-Semitic terms." It's the exact opposite. The cartoon is pure anti-Semitism couched in the trappings of what just appears to be Israel-critical terms. What Israeli policy does it rebuke?

4/13 You say you have always been "stalwart supporters of Israel." Does that mean you fully back Israel as a Jewish state, that you unreservedly support the rights of the Jewish people to self-determination in the land of Israel?

5/13 You seem to say that anti-Zionism (denying Jewish self-determination) is just a form of Israel criticism. You say it can “serve as a cover for anti-Semitism" but do you consider it anti-Semitic as such, in line with the IHRA definition, which the EU and the US endorsed?

6/13 By definition, only those who reject anti-Zionism as a legitimate political position can be called "stalwart supporters of Israel." Would you consider someone a stalwart supporter of, say, Ireland if that person thought Irish rights to self-determination could be challenged?

7/13 In the same vain, without unequivocally rejecting and condemning anti-Zionism, it will be difficult to convince skeptics that your frequent criticism of Israel is always in good faith.

8/13 Critics of your extensive Mideast coverage don't fault you for being critical of Israel. Instead, they cite articles that apply double-standards, lack vital context, err to Israel's disadvantage and downplay Palestinian responsibility and violence.

9/13 Some examples just from the same month of the cartoon: In an April 15 column, Michelle Goldberg claims BDS is neither hateful nor anti-Semitic, even though she admits BDS wants to end the Jewish state, an idea most Jews, as well as the US and EU, consider anti-Semitic.

10/13 On April 19, a NYT op-ed claimed Jesus was likely a Palestinian, a lie spread by some Palestinians to deny the Jewish people's historical connection to the land. Following complaints, it was later corrected.

11/13 On April 21, the NYT let a number of Palestinians make often wild accusations without Israeli response. The article omitted vital context, such as repeated Palestinian rejections of Israeli peace offers, so that Israel alone appeared guilty for the impasse. See next tweet.

12/13 Rejecting Israeli Prime Minister Barak's peace offer in 2000, Arafat launched a terror war murdering over 1,000 Israelis. Israel withdrew from Gaza in '05, which Hamas took over, and Abbas rejected a 2nd peace offer by Olmert in '08. Below is what the April 21 article said:

13/13 As the paper of record, the NYT often sets the tone for the national debate. At a time of rising anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, the responsibility to get this story right is greater than ever.

/END THREAD