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New York Times Calls Israel ‘Aggressive,’ Explains Away Hamas Tunnels
A taxi passes by in front of The New York Times head office, Feb. 7, 2013. Photo: Reuters / Carlo Allegri / File.
Read the New York Times news coverage carefully enough, and the subtle language tricks that the paper’s reporters and editors use to excuse Hamas and demonize Israel start to seem less subtle, more blatant and outrageous.
Two recent articles provide examples of the Times’s techniques.
One Times dispatch, from a university in Brussels, is by the Times bureau chief there, Matina Stevis-Gridneff.
She offers this context about the conflict: “Jan Danckaert, the university’s rector, had started a listening tour of the campus soon after Hamas led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. About 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage in those attacks, according to the Israeli authorities, setting off an aggressive Israeli military response that has killed more than 37,000 Gazans, according to health officials there.”
The Times sprinkles an adjective, “aggressive,” into its description of Israel’s response, but the Hamas-led attacks get no such pejorative label from the Times.
Elsewhere in the same dispatch, we hear that, “The three Jewish students disagreed on politics, expressing views ranging from mostly pro-Palestinian to largely siding with the Israeli government line.” Some editor should have edited out “line.” There’s an asymmetry between “pro-Palestinian” and “largely siding with the Israeli government line.” Why not just “pro-Israel,” or, if the Times insists on going down the road of accusing people of taking a party line, what about “siding with the Palestine Liberation Organization line”?
Another Times article, by Matthew Mpoke Bigg, is about a Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. That article explains in passing that, “Hamas has constructed a network of tunnels beneath Gaza to shield the group from Israeli surveillance and attack.”
That seems like an awfully benign, to the point of inaccurate, way of describing the reason Hamas built those tunnels. It might also be said that Hamas built the tunnels so they could pursue, under cover of secrecy, their mission of killing Jews and wiping Israel off the map. It could be said that the tunnels also advanced the Hamas purpose of hiding from the rest of the world the scale to which they were looting Gaza’s economy and diverting humanitarian aid resources for military use. The “shield…from Israeli attack” language the Times uses makes it sound like the tunnels are defensive, when in fact the tunnels were offensive, used to conceal preparations for attacks on Israel that were perpetrated by Hamas.
Mpoke Bigg’s LinkedIn profile says he hold a postgraduate diploma in journalism from City University, London, and an honors degree in American Studies from the University of East Anglia. The profile describes him as serving as a regional editor for Europe for the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees. “I joined UNHCR, the U.N. Refugee Agency, in 2019 and have since played several roles including: Europe Editor, Communications Officer and Acting Head of Events,” the LinkedIn profile says. The Times website omits the U.N. stint and says, “Before joining The Times, I worked for two decades for Reuters as a correspondent, bureau chief and editor. I was based in Kenya, Ivory Coast, the United States, Indonesia, Ghana and Britain.”
Stevis-Gridneff describes herself in her Times bio as having been “born and raised in Athens, Greece” and educated at Oxford and the London School of Economics.
Being educated and raised outside the U.S. may contribute to the anti-Israel tilt, though you can certainly acquire an anti-Israel tilt from inside plenty of American universities, too.
As the Times tries to grow by amassing an international readership, and also adds more international staff, it’ll face a choice between chasing anti-Israel readers in Europe and elsewhere, or serving readers based in America. Americans in general, if not necessarily the left-leaning Times audience, are more likely than many European elites are to sympathize with Israel. In other words, the Times can try to be the Guardian, or it can try to be the New York Times, but it’s perilous to try to be both at the same time. American readers will notice and will get annoyed by the bias.
Ira Stoll was managing editor of The Forward and North American editor of The Jerusalem Post. His media critique, a regular Algemeiner feature, can be found here.
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Mike Johnson, Chuck Schumer Invite Israeli Hostages and Their Parents to Trump Speech to Congress
US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson stands in the House of Representatives ahead of US President Joe Biden’s third State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, March 7, 2024. Photo: Shawn Thew/Pool via REUTERS
US congressional leaders Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mike Johnson (R-LA) have invited some of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, and their parents to attend President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.
Former hostage Noa Argamani has reportedly accepted the invitation of Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, to attend Trump’s speech. Likewise, Orna Neutra and Ruby Chen, the parents of murdered hostages Omer Neutra and Itay Chen, will attend as guests of Schumer, the Senate’s minority leader.
Johnson said that he feels “honored” that Argamani will attend the US president’s joint address to Congress. The Speaker of the House lauded Argamani for displaying “incredible strength and courage” while being held captive by the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.
In his statement, Schumer lamented the “vicious cruelty of Hamas,” saying he was inspired by the “perseverance” of both Neutra and Chen.
“I am honored that Noa Argamani will be joining us at President Trump’s joint address to Congress,” Johnson told the New York Post. “Despite experiencing the unimaginable in the hands of Hamas, Noa has demonstrated incredible strength and courage.”
Separately, a group of seven hostages saved from Hamas captivity — Eli Sharabi, Doron Steinbrecher, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Omer Shem Tov, and Iair Horn — are expected to visit Washington, DC to meet with Trump administration officials and thank the president for helping to secure their release. In addition, the former hostages are expected to detail their experiences while living in Gaza and push for the release of the remaining hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Sharabi’s resilience and encouraged him to relay his story to Trump.
“I deeply appreciate the courageous way you are sharing your experience, and it is also important that you share it with President Trump,” Netanyahu said on Sunday. “Our goal is to bring all the hostages home – and we will not relent for a moment.”
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists started the war in Gaza when they murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages during their invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in the neighboring enclave. The conflict raged for nearly 16 months until both sides agreed to January’s ceasefire and hostage-release deal, the first phase of which lasted six weeks.
Negotiations are underway to possibly extend the ceasefire.
Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel would block all aid into Gaza after the Hamas terrorist group rejected a six-week extension of the current agreement. The proposal would mandate that Hamas release half of the remaining Israeli hostages who were kidnapped into Gaza during the beginning of the extension. The rest of the hostages would be released at the end of the extension, if Hamas and Israel can agree on a permanent ceasefire deal. Israel would retain the right to restart the war in Gaza if negotiations are unsuccessful by the 42-day mark.
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Israel Begins Leadership of International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan speaks to the European Jewish Association symposium audience in the Conference Center of Hilton hotel in Krakow, Poland on Jan. 22, 2024. Photo: Dominika Zarzycka/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Israel this week assumed the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), an intergovernmental organization comprising dozens of countries dedicated to combating antisemitism and promoting Holocaust research and education.
Dani Dayan — chairman of Yad Vashem, Israel’s national memorial to the Holocaust in Jerusalem — will represent the Jewish state as chair of IHRA.
“We are at a crossroads of generations, and the responsibility of preserving the memory and sharing the stories of the Holocaust will soon rest solely on our shoulders. The voices of victims and survivors demand that we honor their legacy by standing firm against Holocaust denial, distortion, and hatred,” Dayan said in a statement. “In a world witnessing a dramatic rise in antisemitism and grappling with the challenges and opportunities of emerging technologies, our obligation to historical truth has never been more critical.”
Israel’s presidency of IHRA began on Monday and will run through February 2026.
“The antisemitism that resulted in the Holocaust has not been eradicated from the world. On the contrary, over the past year and a half, we have witnessed it intensifying dramatically, targeting both the Jewish people and the Jewish state,” Israeli Foreign Minister Giden Sa’ar added in his own statement, referring to the historic surge in antisemitic incidents around the world since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.
“The new antisemites attack Israel’s right to exist and its right to defend itself,” Sa’ar continued. “It is our duty not only to remember the Holocaust but also to ensure the existence of the Jewish state, which serves as the guarantee of Jewish continuity for generations to come, while also preserving and passing on the memory of the Holocaust to future generations.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Israel as the new president of IHRA.
“Today the United States warmly welcomes the start of Israel’s year-long presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which is committed to supporting accurate Holocaust commemoration, education, and research,” Rubio said in a press statement. “We also congratulate the United Kingdom on its completion of a highly successful presidency.”
Rubio added, “The United States will partner with Israel during its IHRA presidency to defend the memory and historical fact of the Holocaust and fight the toxic spread of Holocaust denial and distortion and all other forms of antisemitism.”
The top American diplomat warned of an aggressive US response to the ongoing rise in antisemitism.
“Holocaust distortion, a shocking form of antisemitism, has proliferated and the poison of antisemitism continues to spread,” Rubio said. “We see it in violent attacks on Jews, defacement of Holocaust memorials, and dangerous rhetoric in universities and international organizations. President Trump and I have made the United States’ position unmistakably clear: the United States will confront antisemitism with determination and resolve.”
Israel will be taking over IHRA’s presidency from the United Kingdom, which headed the organization for the past year with Lord Eric Pickles serving as chair.
“The aim was to bring out the best in the IHRA, engender confidence in difficult times, and, above all, strengthen the organization,” Pickles said at a handover ceremony in Jerusalem. “Those of us who attended the poignant 80th anniversary ceremony at Auschwitz-Birkenau in January know that we will never see the like again.”
Pickles added that “10 years from now, at the 90th anniversary, it is unlikely there will be Holocaust survivors to speak. We are now the custodians of their memory. We must remember and tell the truth.”
Recent Legislative Efforts Regarding the IHRA Antisemitism Definition
IHRA adopted a “working definition” of antisemitism in 2016. Since then, the definition has been widely accepted by Jewish groups and lawmakers across the political spectrum, and it is now used by hundreds of governing institutions, including the US State Department, European Union, and United Nations. Dozens of US states have also formally adopted it through law or executive action.
In recent months, several additional measures have been taken to expand the definition’s usage.
Last month, for example, Australia’s 39 universities announced that the IHRA working definition of antisemitism would be used in assessing antisemitism on campus. The country has seen a string of antisemitic crimes which authorities suspect foreign actors of masterminding.
On Feb. 20, US Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act to implement the definition in the US Department of Education.
“We cannot allow antisemitism to fester in our schools, on our college campuses, or anywhere in our society. This legislation would give the Department of Education the tools to hold students and institutions accountable,” Britt said at the time. “Any American educational institution authorizing, facilitating, or otherwise supporting pro-terrorism activities should lose every cent of federal funding and subsidization.”
On Feb. 26, the Missouri House of Representatives Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee heard the case for a bill to use the IHRA definition at the state’s schools.
Two weeks earlier, the Kansas House Committee on Education received a presentation on a bill to codify the definition for the state’s schools.
On Feb. 3, the Nebraska Legislature Education Committee conducted a hearing for a bill also seeking to implement the IHRA definition in schools.
In late January, state representatives and community members met at the New Jersey statehouse to speak out in support of a bill for the state to adopt the IHRA definition. The legislation’s primary sponsor, Assemblyman Gary Schaer, said that “today we have an opportunity to do something truly profound — pass bipartisan legislation that will protect a religious minority.”
To resolve two lawsuits, Harvard agreed to implement the IHRA definition and to release an annual report for the next five years documenting responses to violations of Title VI of the US Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In January, Oklahoma State Rep. John Waldron, a Democrat elected in Tulsa, put forward legislation to use the IHRA definition in the state’s guide for employees assessing bigotry.
On Jan. 26, the student government of Rutgers University voted down a measure to embrace the definition.
Days earlier, Ireland announced its embrace of the IHRA definition, despite the Irish government’s harsh criticism of Israel and amid a surge of antisemitism in the country.
In December 2024, a group of 24 Israeli colleges announced plans to use the IHRA definition.
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Former Hamas Hostage Emily Damari Undergoes Hand Surgery for Injury Sustained During Oct. 7 Attack
Former hostage Emily Damari is reunited with her mother, on Jan. 19, 2025. Credit: Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit.
Former hostage Emily Damari underwent surgery in Israel last week for a hand injury inflicted upon her by Hamas terrorists when she was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, and in a chilling post on Instagram, she shared details about the inadequate medical care she received during her captivity.
The 28-year-old – who lost her two middle fingers while being taken captive during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks – said on Monday she takes pride in her disability and also shared photos from the surgical room at Sheba Medical Center’s Department of Hand Surgery, where she had her procedure this week. Remembering her time in captivity, she talked about being transported by Hamas to the Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip for a different kind of “surgery.”
“‘Hi, I’m Dr. Hamas,’ that’s what the doctor at Shifa told me before the ‘surgery,’” Damari recalled. “Seventeen months have passed since then, and now the moment I’ve been waiting for has arrived — the real surgery, at Sheba Medical Center.”
“Today, after 17 months, my moment has arrived — to replace Shifa with Sheba and finally receive proper treatment,” she wrote. “I have come to terms with my injury, truly. I know there is still recovery ahead, but this time, I am surrounded by family and friends I love, and that’s what matters. I am proud of my scars, and with them, I will triumph.”
A British-Israeli dual citizen, Damari was one of three civilian hostages released from Hamas captivity in mid-January as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization. She was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Her two middle fingers had been shot off by Hamas-led terrorists during the Oct. 7 attacks and she was also shot in the leg. In her Instagram post on Monday, she talked about the procedure she had at the Shifa hospital in Gaza the same day as her abduction.
“I remember sitting in Shifa on October 7th, looking at a small window there, feeling my hand shattered and my leg shot from the bullet that hit Choocha, my beloved dog, the most precious thing I had for 11 years,” she added. “In all the chaos, I didn’t even have time to process it. After all, I was kidnapped to Gaza along with two good friends, my neighbor was murdered, I left my mother, my brother, his wife, and their daughters behind — who knew what would happen to them.”
“Then that moment came — they took me into the operating room, with a corpse in front of me,” she added. “I saw the blue sky, which should have been gray on such a day. I prayed to God to protect me. And then I woke up to Dr. Hamas informing me that I no longer had two fingers, and that the wound on my leg remained open with four stitches instead of sixteen.”
Damari concluded her Instagram by quoting a Hebrew Psalm which means in English: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” She also thanked the “incredible” doctors at Sheba Medical Center who treated her as well as the “amazing team of nurses.”
In a post on X, Damari shared a photo of herself after her recent hand surgery, showing off her two new fingers. In the caption, she again talked about “embracing” her scars, saying, “to me they represent freedom, hope, and strength.”
“I thank G-d, the IDF, and everyone who fought to give me my life back. Now let’s bring all the hostages home,” she said.
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