Non-Jewish Israelis faceless, nameless, voiceless in NYT coverage

I suggest New York Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief Jodi Rudoren put a sign above her desk that says, “one out of five Israelis is Palestinian.” Because she once again forgets this fact in an article about public buses on the Sabbath– “Push for Buses on Sabbath Sets off Debate in Israel.” The article goes on for 1,200 words, and does not quote a single Palestinian Israeli.

Public bus in Israel, called an Egged bus

The story is actually somewhat interesting. A group of seculars and leftwingers want public transportation on the Sabbath.

“Public transportation is a necessity: I think it should be like electricity or water or gas,” said Omry Hazut, 27, who started the Facebook protest. “State and religion, this bond, is broken a lot of times, but only if you can afford it. If you can afford a car, you can pull the switch and start it on Saturday, but if you can’t, you won’t have any option of leaving your house.”

Right; everything grinds to a halt on the Sabbath in Israel and occupied Jerusalem. Rudoren quotes a few Jewish Israelis on this issue, on both sides, but she and Irit Pazner Garshowitz and Myra Noveck, who contributed reporting to the piece, do not talk to a single Palestinian to get their opinion about a), the inconvenience, because we’re talking about public buses, and b), how do they feel to have one day of their week shut down for another religion’s observance?

You don’t think she could find one Palestinian who wants to travel from Jerusalem on Nazareth on Saturday to visit family and can’t afford a car?

You don’t think she could find one Palestinian to say:

I don’t think too much of it, but every week I’m reminded that I live in a theocracy where someone else’s religion is in charge.

Source URL