Jewish NGOs slam ‘Time’ magazine cover story

Article titled “Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace” called “insidious” and borderline anti-Semitic.

By GIL STERN STERN SHEFLER
Time cover (photo credit: Courtesy)
Time cover
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Jewish organizations slammed Time magazine for its cover story appearing in its September 13 issue, saying the article titled “Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace” was “insidious” and borderline anti-Semitic.
The American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League both responded to the article penned by the magazine’s Jerusalem correspondent Karl Vick.
Ed Rettig, acting Director of AJC Jerusalem, lambasted the author for quoting poorly sourced polls and misrepresenting reality.
“Leaving aside the libelous nature of the article (what awful people don’t care about peace?), its internalization by decision-makers would be catastrophic,” he wrote. “The false belief that Israelis are indifferent to peace will prevent them perceiving the conflict as it really is, and cause a misreading of developments.”
Abraham Foxman, ADL national director, was even more vehement about the article, saying it had a strong bias against Jews.
“The insidious subtext of Israeli Jews being obsessed with money echoes the age-old anti- Semitic falsehood that Jews care about money above any other interest, in this case achieving peace with the Palestinian,” wrote Foxman.
“At the same time, Time ignores the very real sacrifices made by Israel and its people in the pursuit of peace and the efforts by successive Israeli governments of reconciliation.”
In the article, Vick argues Israelis no longer regard the conflict with the Palestinians as a matter of urgency, deeply affecting their daily lives, but rather as a nuisance.
“The truth? In the week that three presidents, a king and their own prime minister gather at the White House to begin a fresh round of talks on peace between Israel and the Palestinians, the truth is, Israelis are no longer preoccupied with the matter. They’re otherwise engaged; they’re making money; they’re enjoying the rays of late summer,” he writes.
“A watching world may still define their country by the blood feud with the Arabs whose families used to live on this land and whether that conflict can be negotiated away, but Israelis say they have moved on.”