January 3, 2010

Does the Media Misrepresent Obama When It Comes to Israel?

By Leonard Getz
Ever since the Jewish community caught on to President Obama's pressure on Israel to impose a "settlement freeze" in Judea,  Samaria ,and parts of Jerusalem, the administration has blamed the media for misrepresenting its overall policy and strategic approach to the "peace process." One article said that "[t]here was concern about an imbalance in pressures placed on Israel as opposed to on the Palestinians and the Arab States ... the President indicated he had a sensitivity to the perception of that imbalance and had to work harder to correct that perception ..." Obama had an opportunity to do just that on November 10, when Undersecretary of State William J. Burns addressed the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. But the speech proved that the media got it right the first time. Burns said, "We do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements; we consider the Israeli offer to restrain settlement activity to be a...(Read Full Article)