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New York Times Goes All In on Slick ‘Apartheid Roads’ Propaganda
Illustrative: Israeli forces work at the scene of a suspected terrorist attack at a checkpoint outside of Jerusalem, in the West Bank, March 13, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg
The interactive feature titled “Roadblocked,” published by The New York Times, is a visually striking and evidently resource-intensive project. With no fewer than five journalists’ bylines at the top, and additional reporting from two others on the ground in Israel, the 3,000-word piece comprises maps, videos, photos, and plenty of cherry-picked quotations that supposedly illustrate the system of “separate but unequal roadways” in the West Bank.
“In the occupied West Bank, Israelis zip along well-groomed roads designed for their convenience,” the piece opens. “Palestinians are shunted onto convoluted routes dotted with checkpoints.”
We are soon introduced to an Israeli and Palestinian, each living in the West Bank, whose daily commutes are presented as symbolic of this allegedly discriminatory road system.
The piece then asserts that since the October 7 Hamas attacks, the roads have become “more perilous for Palestinians” due to the threat of “Israeli settlers sometimes attacking Palestinian drivers.”
But because this is The New York Times — a publication that has repeatedly demonstrated its tendency to downplay or outright dismiss Israel’s legitimate security concerns — little attention is paid to the real reason these roads are designed in the way they are.
For example, a caption accompanying a map showing the diverging routes taken by Palestinian and Israeli drivers claims that the barriers and detours are “rooted in Israel’s decades-long efforts to restrict Palestinian movement, prevent attacks on Israelis and increase the Jewish presence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 war.”
The implication that Israel’s road network exists solely to “restrict Palestinian movement” for no reason other than malice is, frankly, absurd.
The truth, which the Times glosses over, is that these barriers and security measures were put in place to protect Israelis from terrorism. And, crucially, they likely would not exist if there were a Palestinian leadership committed to peace with Israel.
When @nytimes uses individual cases that go against the IDF’s own Code of Ethics to tarnish Israel’s entire army yet fails to address Hamas’ policy of using Gaza’s entire population as human shields, that’s not journalism, it’s a double standard. https://t.co/TnITu8Mmgv
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 14, 2024
Both the success and necessity of Israel’s security measures, including the completion of the West Bank barrier in 2007, are undeniable.
While the barrier significantly reduced the number of deadly terror attacks from the West Bank, the threat of terrorism persists. Last year’s spate of attacks on Israeli civilians, such as the murder of schoolteacher Batsheva Nagari, who was gunned down while sitting in a car, are reminders of this reality.
It’s also important to correct a common misconception about the roads. The difference in license plate colors for Palestinian and Israeli drivers — which The New York Times states is used to “differentiate who can drive where” — is actually based on citizenship or residency, not ethnicity.
Israeli citizens and permanent residents, whether Jewish or Arab, have yellow plates, while Palestinian vehicles have their own plates issued by the Palestinian Authority.
The conclusion of the piece is given midway through: Israel is maintaining “apartheid roads,” as per the view of the Palestinian Authority and so-called “other critics.”
That the Times could uncritically reference the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s accusation of “apartheid roads” without acknowledging the PA’s own role in necessitating the checkpoints and barriers is truly astonishing.
Let’s not forget, this is the same Palestinian Authority that operates a “Pay-for-Slay” policy, where terrorists who murder Israelis are financially rewarded. By offering stipends to those who commit violent acts against civilians, the PA actively incentivizes terrorism.
Finally, let’s actually debunk the apartheid roads libel — the “separate but unequal” system that The New York Times so confidently accuses Israel of implementing. The reality is far more complex and less nefarious than the piece suggests.
First, Israeli vehicular traffic is also banned from entering Palestinian-controlled areas due to security concerns. This restriction applies to all Israeli citizens, including over one million Arab citizens of Israel, who have themselves been targets of terrorist attacks.
Furthermore, all road closures are temporary and subject to constant review by the Israeli courts, ensuring that they are not permanent or arbitrary measures.
Additionally, under Israeli law, Jews are severely restricted in which roads they can travel.
It is illegal for Jews to enter areas designated as Area A — territories under full Palestinian Authority security and administrative control. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) cannot operate freely in these areas, even if a Jewish citizen’s life is in danger. Large red signs warning Israeli citizens not to enter these towns and villages are a common sight at the entrances to Palestinian Authority-controlled areas, clearly illustrating the limitations imposed on Israeli citizens, not just Palestinians.
But since when has The New York Times ever let pesky facts get in the way of an “Israeli apartheid” slur? The answer: Never.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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US Vetoes UN Security Council Demand for Gaza Ceasefire
Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from Israel, June 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The United States vetoed a UN Security Council demand on Wednesday for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza and unhindered aid access across the enclave.
“The United States has been clear we would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza,” Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the council before the vote.
“This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground, and embolden Hamas,” she said of the text that was put forward by 10 countries on the 15-member council.
The remaining 14 council members voted in favor of the draft resolution.
Israel has rejected calls for an unconditional or permanent ceasefire, saying Hamas cannot stay in Gaza. It has renewed its military offensive in Gaza – also seeking to free hostages held by Hamas – since ending a two-month ceasefire in March.
The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people in Israel in an Oct. 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave.
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Trump Picks Lawyer Who Called Oct. 7 Attack a ‘Psyop’ to Lead Federal Watchdog Agency
Paul Ingrassia. Photo: Screenshot
Paul Ingrassia, a 29-year-old lawyer who was recently nominated by US President Donald Trump to lead a federal agency dedicated to combating corruption and protecting whistleblowers, seemingly dismissed the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2o23, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel as a “psyop,” or “psychological operation, in resurfaced social media posts.
“This ‘war’ is yet another psyop to distract Americans from celebrating Columbus Day,” Ingrassia wrote on X/Twitter on Oct. 8, 2023.
“I think we could all admit at this stage that Israel/Palestine, much like Ukraine before it, and BLM before that, and covid/vaccine before that, was another psyop,” he posted a week later. “But sadly, people fell for it. And they’ll fall for the next one too.”
On the actual day of the Oct. 7 massacre, Ingrassia compared illegal immigration into the US to the Hamas-led onslaught.
“The amount of energy everyone has put into condemning Hamas (and prior to that, the Ukraine conflict) over the past 24 hours should be the same amount of energy we put into condemning our wide open border, which is a war comparable to the attack on Israel in terms of bloodshed — but made worse by the fact that it’s occurring in our very own backyard,” he posted. “We shouldn’t be beating the war drum, however tragic the events may be overseas, until we resolve our domestic problems first.”
Trump announced last week that he picked Ingrassia to serve as head of the US Office of Special Counsel, a position that requires confirmation by the Senate.
The Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal ethics agency that works to ensure fairness and accountability within the government. Ingrassia’s role, if he is confirmed, would involve investigating claims of wrongdoing, such as retaliation against whistleblowers or improper political activity in the workplace. The official can recommend disciplinary action and reports serious findings to Congress, helping to protect federal employees and uphold the integrity of the civil service system.
Ingrassia also maintains a relationship with and defends alleged sex trafficker Andrew Tate, who has promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media. Tate wrote on X/Twitter that he refuses to “listen to women, Mexicans, or Jews” and that Jewish people are “subverting Western populations into mass genetic suicide” by advancing what he described as misguided immigration policy. Tate has also accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza against Palestinians and engaged in Holocaust denialism.
The furor surrounding Ingrassia is the latest dustup the Trump administration has had regarding controversial personnel and antisemitism.
The Trump administration’s appointment of Kingsley Wilson as deputy press secretary at the Department of Defense also sparked widespread criticism due to her history of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and extremist views. Wilson, formerly associated with the Center for Renewing America, has a documented history of social media posts endorsing white supremacist ideologies, including claims about the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank — a Jewish man whose wrongful conviction and subsequent murder galvanized the founding of the Anti-Defamation League. In 2023, she tweeted that Frank “raped & murdered a 13-year-old girl,” a statement aligning with neo-Nazi narratives.
Late last month, the Pentagon announced that Wilson will be promoted and serve as the department’s new press secretary.
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US Congress Pushes to Designate Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist Organization
US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaking at a press conference about the United States restricting weapons for Israel, at the US Capitol, Washington, DC. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Members of the US Congress are moving quickly to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as an official terrorist organization.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced on Tuesday that he will reintroduce an updated version of the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act.
“In the coming days, I will be circulating and re-introducing a modernized version of the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, which I have been pushing for my entire Senate career,” he posted on X/Twitter. “The Muslim Brotherhood used the Biden administration to consolidate and deepen their influence, but the Trump administration and Republican Congress can no longer afford to avoid the threat they pose to Americans and American national security.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) sent a letter to the White House on Tuesday asking US President Donald Trump to open an investigation into the Muslim Brotherhood, saying that the group maintains “a documented history of promoting extremist ideologies.”
“Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE all declared the Muslim Brotherhood an FTO [foriegn terrorist organization] over a decade ago, and France is considering its own action. Following suit would help the US disrupt the Muslim Brotherhood’s ability to recruit and finance terror around the globe,” Moskowitz wrote on X/Twitter.
The push to proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood gained momentum last month, when the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) organized a meeting to help members of Congress develop “strategies to ban the growing threat of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States,” the research group said in a press release.
“The Muslim Brotherhood appears to be the intellectual inspiration behind all Islamist groups (and their jihadist offshoots) that operate today, such as ISIS, al Qaeda, and Hamas,” ISGAP wrote in a 2023 report. “Sunni jihadist groups are grounded in the firm ideological roots that key MB [Muslim Brotherhood] ideologues pioneered in the last century.”
Hamas, the internationally designated terrorist group that has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades and perpetrated the largest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust with its invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, is a Palestinian offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Both Cruz and Moskowitz noted that Hamas is a “branch” and an “affiliate” of the global Islamist movement.
While several countries in the Middle East have already classified the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, the United States has yet to do the same, despite several attempts by Congress over the years. During Trump’s first term in office, officials in both the White House and Congress took initial steps toward sanctioning the group’s international branches, but a formal designation was never finalized.
US lawmakers believe they have identified multiple pathways to economically cripple the internationally designated terror organization. Congress could combat the Muslim Brotherhood by designating it a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) or placing it on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list. Both options would levy heavy penalties on the group through methods such as freezing its assets or sanctioning its leadership.
The post US Congress Pushes to Designate Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist Organization first appeared on Algemeiner.com.