Focusing on the Fringe

"Abie Nathan, Israeli Peace Champion, Dies at 81," B7, 8/29/08
By Isabel Kershner

In a newspaper as prestigious and influential as the New York Times, it puzzles me why they would print the obituary of what seems to be a relatively marginal Israeli personality, who would probably fall on the fringe left of the country's political continuum.

In connection with the quite extensive article reserved this month for the passing of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, it appears that the NYT chooses to focus its attention and admiration on the heroes of Palestinian nationalism and of the Israeli left, no matter how hostile, naive, or delusional they may be.

For now, I think the NYT deserves the benefit of the doubt regarding its journalistic intentions, but if this becomes an observable trend, it would be troublesome.

At the least the article recognizes the naivety, though endearing character, of Abie Nathan and his delusional peace overtures.