By Steven Hemmat, , Seattle
The JTNews Editor and Publisher recently chided several members of the Jewish community for questioning the appropriateness of publishing a letter by Linda Frank defending the Palestinian Authority and its policies toward the Jewish people. In your statement, you defended publishing Frank’s letter by citing “free speech” and criticized some who assert that the JTNews should not be used as a forum to express such views.
Section 5 of your own Letters Guidelines state:
“JTNews seeks views from many perspectives. However, letters that contain obvious factual inaccuracies, unattributed facts and quotes, unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing, insulting comments, or defamatory statements will not be printed. Letters harmful to the Jewish community, call for the destruction of Israel, or contain hate speech will not be printed.”
In July 2013, the JTA News reported that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told Egyptian journalists that no Israelis will remain in a future Palestinian state. Quoting Reuters, the JTA News stated that Abbas made the statements in Cairo when meeting with the interim Egyptian President. Abbas stated: “In a final solution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli — civilian or soldier — on our lands.”
Any fair and objective person understands Abbas’s statement to mean that no Jew will be permitted to live in a future Palestinian state. Considering that tens of thousands of Jews live in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, Linda Frank was factually inaccurate and her letter should not have been printed under your own Letters Guidelines.
Being welcoming, diverse and open minded does not require our local Jewish community newspaper publishing letters or articles from those advocating the historic homeland of the Jewish people Judenrein.