Is Alon Shvut in Israel?

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The New York Times printed a very nice obituary of Gil Marks, whose death is a great loss. I own and deeply value his wonderful "Olive Trees and Honey" cookbook.

The current brouhaha is over this line at the bottom of the article:

"Correction: December 11, 2014. An earlier version of this obituary misstated the location of Alon Shvut, where Mr. Marks lived. It is in the West Bank, not in Israel."

I agree, the unnecessary correction does come across as insensitive, and would have better been left alone. However...

1) They probably got in trouble with some readers. I doubt they would have changed it without complaints.

2) Alon Shvut is in Gush Etzion, which, technically, is not part of the state of Israel, however much it feels like it and has been integrated. Yes, it was settled by Jews well before the state was established. Yes, in almost every proposed peace deal, it would be part of Israel. But legally, at least for now. it's an "administered territory" of Israel, since it's over the green line, and unlike the eastern parts of Jerusalem, or the Golan, has not been officially annexed by Israel.

3) The Israellycool article engages in hyperbole, equating stating a current geographical reality (though admittedly one fraught with political implications) with accusing the deceased and his family of being "illegitimate occupiers". Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill.

Comments

  1. Mighty Garnel IronheartDecember 15, 2014 at 2:15 PM

    What's sad is that there are people out there who scour articles like the obit and look for these kinds of "mistakes" to complain out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David StaumDecember 15, 2014 at 2:44 PM

      Even the more mainstream pro-Israel watchdog groups like CAMERA often overreach in their criticism of the NYT, in my opinion. Nontheless, they serve an important role, because the media does make errors on Israel, sometimes egregious ones, and they do need to be pointed out.

      Delete
  2. dsdsDecember 25, 2014 at 3:54 AM


    Excellent post!!! I have learnt many things form here. I have also website where you can ivsit and pass your leasure time. In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. To get more information, visit here……………
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