Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 9:08 AM
To: ombudsman@washpost.com; letters@washpost.com
Subject: Breach in Gaza - January 24, 2008

Dear Washington Post staff,

The editorial “Breach in Gaza” was excellent. The refreshing editorial included a point that “Hamas took advantage of the blockade first by arranging for sympathetic Arab Media to document the ‘humanitarian crisis’…” has had little to no coverage in the media. But why single out the “Arab media” for being duped into being sympathetic toward this so-called humanitarian crisis. Why not examine the home of this very editorial – The Washington Post itself? Most memorable was Scott Wilson’s front page article on Dec. 15, 2007 “Sealed Off by Israel, Gaza Reduced to Beggary”. In this supposedly front-page worthy article, Wilson blames Israel for the lack of hearing aids for the children of Gaza –its always the children mind you – by writing prose that include “The few [hearing-aids] that are left are losing power, turning voices into echoes in the ears of Hala Abu Saif’s 20 first-grade students.” Why doesn’t Wilson probe to find out why the Palestinians can sneak katyusha rockets through their tunnels, but not hearing-aid batteries “the size of a button?” The Post is known for their investigative nature. Why none here? It seems that the writers are looking for a Pulitzer rather than the truth. Buried at the end of the story, Wilson reports that the Israeli liaison to the Red Cross would “make sure hearing-aid batteries would be allowed through the crossings” – hardly an act of malicious behavior.

Does The Washington Post editorial staff read its own paper?

Published in the Washington Jewish Week


Excellent piece

Thank you for your excellent piece "All the news that's unfit" (WJW, Jan. 3) about the local media watchdog group, Eye On The Post, and its work exposing the anti-Israel bias in The Washington Post.

One example of this bias was a recent Washington Post piece that blamed Israel for Palestinian children not getting hearing aid batteries - it made front-page news. If the Palestinians can sneak Katyusha rockets through their tunnels, wouldn't the Post think that they could bring in batteries the size of a button?

MICHAEL BERENHAUS
Potomac

Letter to The Washington Post

Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 7:59 AM
To: letters@washpost.comCc: ombudsman@washpost.com; finerj@washpost.com
Subject: West Banks Jewish 'Outposts' Dig In, Jan. 13, 2008

Dear Editor,

The Washington Post invokes “international law” as the reason why Jews should not be able to live in the West Bank [West Banks Jewish ‘Outposts’ Dig In, Jan. 13, 2008]. What kind of international law insists that a region must be judenrein (free of Jews)? After being cleansed from the West Bank by Arabs in the 1948 War of Independence, Jews are finally able to return to their ancient homeland, the place where the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Jewish religion lived and were buried – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah. Besides, if it’s okay for Arabs to live among Jews in Israel, why isn’t it okay for Jews to live among Arabs?

Letter to The Washington Post

Dear Editor,

The Palestinians apparently have enough money to lob rockets and mortars onto Israeli towns on an almost daily basis yet The Washington Post reports that they can’t afford to supply hearing aid batteries for their hearing-impaired children [Sealed Off by Israel, Gaza Reduced to Beggary – Dec. 15, 2007]. Given The Washington Post’s investigative style of reporting, wouldn't you want to find out why this is the case? And why blame Israel for the way Palestinians prioritize their spending habits?