Letter to The Washington Post

From: Dr. Michael Berenhaus
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 9:25 PM
To: letters@washpost.com; 'ombudsman@washpost.com'
Subject: letter

Dear Editor/ombudsman,

Since you had no problem publishing Palestinian Prime Minister Haniyeh’s editorial (July 11, 2006), I assume you would also print an unedited, un-countered editorial from Kim Jong Ill, Saddam Hussein, or Iranian President Ahmenijad. Hamas, on the state department’s list of terrorist organizations, commits terror as a means of access to the world’s stage. This time Hamas got a free ticket, thanks to The Washington Post. One of the goals of terrorism is to gain media attention for the purpose of gaining legitimacy for a cause, and The Post has now become a partner in this. Terrorism has caught on quickly since the 1970’s because, as an early founder of a Palestinian organization (the PFLP) said, it works. Your publication has reinforced that.

I have seen the Palestinian Prime Minister a number of times on on-air interviews. It seems pretty clear that he didn’t write that letter. It was just more of the same Palestinian propaganda spruced up by a fancy PR company. As the war is now mostly being fought in the court of public opinion, your paper serves as a Palestinian Arab mouthpiece. The Post – I don’t get it.

Michael Berenhaus