Published in The Washington Post

Friends,

In this letter, which the Post surprisingly published, their inaccuracies are exposed by using a piece in another section – of their newspaper!

Michael



A Mideast war of words in The Post

How can The Post's opinion pages be so laced with fact and the fact pages (the reporting) so laced with opinion?
In the May 16 front-page story "Clashes erupt at Israel's borders", Joel Greenberg presented the Syrian protest on Israel's border as "an unprecedented escalation of the annual demonstrations on the anniversary of the establishment of Israel in 1948".
Even the headline was mendacious: Clashes don't erupt; they are orchestrated, and that's how the headline should have read: "Clashes orchestrated at Israel's borders."
That was clearly how the Post's editorial board saw it on the May 17 editorial page ["Israel's border bloodshed"]. The first sentence got it exactly right: "The Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday made a desperate attempt to distract attention from its continuing, bloody assault on its own people."
It noted, "Hundreds of Palestinians were bused from refugee camps" and "no one can reach the heavily militarized Syrian front with Israel without the consent and cooperation of the Assad regime."
Why was it necessary, in The Post to read the editorial page to get the facts?

Michael Berenhaus, Potomac

Letter to The Washington Post

Dear Editor,

It wasn't the creation of Israel that led to the displacement of Palestinians in 1948 - it was the Palestinians’ denial of it (Palestinian dies after clash in E. Jerusalem, 5/15/11). The Palestinians rejected Israel's creation and started a war along with neighboring Arab countries meant "to drive the Jews into the sea." They lost. The Palestinians mourn this loss annually in a day they call the "Nakba" or catastrophe. Interestingly, Israel has been criticized for not honoring this day. Is Israel supposed to be supportive of the Palestinian holiday meant to mark the defeat of those that attempted to commit back-to-back Holocausts to the Jewish people? Moreover, what does this show about the Palestinians’ sincerity for a 2-state solution when they are still mourning the loss of a one-state solution - all Palestinian?

Michael Berenhaus