Helen Thomas Comes Under Fire for Remarks on Jews, Israel
Updated at 11:28 a.m. ET
After making controversial remarks about Israel, longtime White House correspondent Helen Thomas has been dropped by her speaking agency and is coming under fire from her colleagues, former White House officials and others.
In a May 27 exchange with Rabbi David Nesenoff, which was captured on video and posted on the website www.rabbilive.com, Thomas said Israelis should "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go home" to Germany and Poland.
Diane Nine, president of the speaking agency Nine Speakers, said in a statement it would drop Thomas, who has earned the nickname "Dean of the White House Press Corps," as she has covered the White House since 1960.
"Ms. Thomas has had an esteemed career as a journalist, and she has been a trailblazer for women, helping others in her profession, and beyond," Nine said. "However, in light of recent events, Nine Speakers is no longer able to represent Ms. Thomas, nor can we condone her comments on the Middle East."
Journalist Craig Crawford, who co-authored a book with Thomas, also announced he will no longer be working with Thomas on any book projects.
Former Bush Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said Friday that Hearst news service, for which Thomas serves as a columnist, should fire her, the Huffington Post reported.
"She should lose her job over this," Fleischer said. "As someone who is Jewish, and as someone who worked with her and used to like her, I find this appalling."
Additionally, former Clinton White House counsel Lanny Davis released a statement on Sunday calling Thomas an "anti-Semitic bigot."
On Friday, Thomas issued an apology for her comments on her website.
"I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians," Thomas said. "They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon."
Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham H. Foxman said in a statement that Thomas' apology did not go far enough.
"Her suggestion that Israelis should go back to Poland and Germany is bigoted and shows a profound ignorance of history," he said. "We believe Thomas needs to make a more forceful and sincere apology for the pain her remarks have caused."
In addition, in light of her comments, Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland has canceled Thomas' appearance as commencement speaker, the Associated Press reports. Principal Alan Goodwin reportedly wrote in the e-mail to students and parents that the school would find a new speaker for the June 14 graduation ceremony.
"Graduation celebrations are not the venue for divisiveness," he wrote.
The 89-year-old correspondent, who according to her website began her career in 1943, has for years been upfront about her views on issues such as the Middle East conflict. She became more outspoken after transitioning from hard reporting to serving as a columnist in 2000.
Her recent comments, however, are putting new scrutiny on her views and her role in the White House press corps, where she has been highly revered. President Obama even surprised Thomas with cupcakes last year on her birthday, which is the same day as the president's.
Time columnist Joe Klein writes that Thomas should be stripped of her privileged front row seat in the White House press room.
Update: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today that Thomas' comments were "offensive and reprehensible.""She should and has apologized," he said. "Obviously, those remarks do not reflect the opinion, I assume, of most of the people in here and certainly not of the administration."
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Objectivity would be nice.
http://www.rhein-main-erleben.de
Watch the video.
Well ... HT has constitutionally guaranteed "freedom of speech", we all do, that is not in question. When you exercise your right to engage in free speech or expression, you must freely accept the consequences of opening your big yap!
Journalist have an extra burden of objectivity (at least they used to) and HT showed her bias, now she will experience the repercussions.
Oh well ... sorry ... don't say it if you can't handle the reaction. Pretty simple stuff i think.
attacked the recent aid ship, spit in our face, --and Helen is only one to stand up and speak the facts. However the Jews should go back to Egypt,-- where their religion first began, but forced out by trying to do exactly what they did to the Palestinians.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israeli-request-for-more-arms-from-us-raises-fears-of-regional-violence-1994956.html
Google the following and see how powerful Israel is and how much America fears Israel by covering up Israel's crimes:
USS Liberty
Lavon Affair
Mossad and the JFK assasination
The fact that Israel is a transport that was "given their land" by persons with no more right to own that which was given as the man in the moon is also true.
What Helen said was not politically correct but it was apt and she has a point. Those in Israel are interlopers and worse, they have spread beyond what they were given--now it would seem that no one is to ever criticize or point out the obvious under pain of political and professional death.
This is Hypocrisy. When Israel sh#ts it stinks just like everyone else's and when they cr@p on other people, we owe it to them and ourselves to point it out not keep quiet as if they are demigods (or the favorite of a deity) and we dare not offend them.
Separation of church and state--remember? Since when are columnists NOT supposed to have an opinion--?!!!!!
I don't think Israelis should have to go back to Europe--but it IS a relevant position for some--I do think they make matters worse in their insistence to colonize the West bank and to kill at will and whim the people who are already there or who might get in their way or defy them.
When they are also a "reporter" held out to the world as the "queen of the press corps" - i.e., that impartial, un-biased institution that America relies on to get its news.
The fact that Israel is a transport that was "given their land" by persons with no more right to own that which was given as the man in the moon is also true.
What Helen said was not politically correct but it was apt and she has a point. Those in Israel are interlopers and worse, they have spread beyond what they were given--now it would seem that no one is to ever criticize or point out the obvious under pain of political and professional death.
This is Hypocrisy. When Israel sh#ts it stinks just like everyone else's and when they cr@p on other people, we owe it to them and ourselves to point it out not keep quiet as if they are demigods (or the favorite of a deity) and we dare not offend them.
Separation of church and state--remember? Since when are columnists NOT supposed to have an opinion--?!!!!!
I don't think Israelis should have to go back to Europe--but it IS a relevant position for some--I do think they make matters worse in their insistence to colonize the West bank and to kill at will and whim the people who are already there or who might get in their way or defy them.