Ha'aretz Takes Anti-Israel Criticism Too Far

It's hard to believe that Ha'aretz is an Israeli newspaper.

It never misses an opportunity to criticize this or that Israeli policy. One would think it an Arab or European newspaper.

Ha'aretz seldom finds reason to highlight anything positive about Israeli policy on most issues.

Israel is facing a brutal campaign of delegitimization worldwide. It is constantly vilified in the media, on college campuses, at the United Nations and other international bodies, and elsewhere. Israel has struggled to defend itself against this relentless hostility but has finally decided to fight back. Under the superb leadership of Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, Israeli diplomats are taking the offensive in explaining the facts about Israel, and Israeli cabinet members have been dispatched to speak publicly abroad. For example, Ayalon wrote this gutsy op-ed in an Arab newspaper shifting blame for the stalled peace process from Israel.

The Foreign Ministry has launched a new campaign called, "Explaining Israel," but sure enough, Ha'aretz has found reason even to criticize this noble effort.

[T]he campaign does not offer hope for working toward a solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict, only baseless faith that hasbara - public diplomacy - will lead the international community to abandon the Palestinians and begin supporting the settlers.

The paper calls the campaign "ridiculous" and "disconcerting" and faults the campaign for highlighing "irritating lists of trivial [Israeli] achievements."

Ha'aretz ought to be ashamed. What is so wrong with Israel making a better effort to tell its side of the story? Nothing. Rather, the issue is that Ha'aretz is afraid the truth will get out, making its editorial positions on so many issues even more untenable. With editorials like these condemning Israel's new public relations campaign, one would hope the newspaper's liberal readers would finally call out Ha'aretz as having gone too far.