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Israel

• October 22 -- Taking Syria's Side on Quneitra
Neil MacFarquhar advances the Syrian state's official line on the destruction of the city of Quneitra in the Golan Heights: "Syria says the Israelis dynamited the town as they went; Israel's rather unconvincing explanation, given the neatly collapsed symmetry of house after house, is that warfare destroyed the place." But the paper's own reporting suggests differently.

• October 5 -- Poor Palestinians on Anniversary of Intifada
Steven Erlanger paints the Palestinian terror intifada in Timesian moral equivalence: "Among the more than 3,000 dead, more than three Palestinians die for every Israeli, and among the Palestinian dead, though figures are hard to come by, easily more than half are civilians."

• September 30 -- Lumping Toddlers with Rock-Throwing Teens
A headline on a story on violence in Israel, "Children on Both Sides Killed on Northern Border of Gaza Strip," portrays the victims as equally young and innocent. Problem is, the Israeli terror victims were toddlers, while two of the Palestinian "children" were 16- and 17-year-olds throwing stones at soldiers.

• August 16 -- Sharon’s “Hysterical Opposition” to Hope in the Middle East?
James Bennet’s profile of Israeli PM Ariel Sharon reveals more of Bennet’s pro-Palestinian tilt: “It was not so long ago that Sharon and his memories of blood were the stuff of history and hysterical opposition to everything that seemed hopeful….”

• August 12 -- An Israeli's "Unlikely Friendship" with a Terrorist
Greg Myre reports from Jerusalem on a terrorist sympathizer in "An Israeli Uproar, and Arrest, Over an Unlikely Friendship." The "friendship" headline definitely soft-pedals the story of an Israeli woman's relationship with an anti-Israeli terrorist: "As she was being led in handcuffs to a court hearing on Tuesday, [Fahima] angrily defended him. 'He does not plan attacks,' she said. 'Even if he does, so what?'"

• July 16 -- Bennet's Bye-Bye to Israel: Dreaming of a Palestinian State
Reporter James Bennet, who's leaving the Israel beat after three years (and much pro-Palestinian bias), issues a sprawling two-part report from Palestinian-occupied land that makes for two days of front-page stories, lamenting the failure of Palestinians to move toward statehood.

• July 9 -- Rapping a Pro-Israel Musician
Ben Sisario attends an unusual hip-hop show in Brooklyn featuring Israelis and Palestinians rapping against the Israeli "occupation." A Palestinian rapper who describes the Israel army as terrorists is called "blunt;" a pro-Israel rapper describes Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat as a smoker and is said to spread "incendiary nationalist imagery."

• June 25 -- "Insufferable Intruders" in the Gaza Strip
A story on Jewish settlers being coaxed out of their settlements by Sharon's government emphasizes the anger of Palestinians and downplays their terrorist attacks on settlers.

• May 28 -- Sharon and Arafat, "Separated at Birth"
Columnist Nicholas Kristof lumps "right-wing jingoist" Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in with Yasir Arafat, snarling that both men share "a bloodstained obduracy, suggesting that they might as well have been twins separated at birth."

• May 24 -- More Victims of the Israeli Occupation
For the second time, the Times reports on the plight of Palestinian zoo animals under Israeli occupation.

• May 21 -- James Bennet, Unbalanced In Israel
Reporter James Bennet’s “Letter from the Middle East” takes evenhandedness to the point of setting up a moral equivalence between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian terrorists, lumping the groups’ conflicting claims into a general “fog of war.”

• May 20 -- Bush Almost Got Me Kidnapped.
Middle East reporter James Bennet survives an attempted kidnapping in the Gaza Strip--and suggests Bush policy could be to blame: "Anger at Americans has been building here for three years over the Bush administration's perceived tilt toward Israel, the occupation of Iraq and, most recently, images of prisoner abuse in Iraq."

• May 17 -- Except for the "Killing U.S. Soldiers" Part, That Is
"Tyranny Of the Minorities," Thomas Friedman's Sunday column, opens on this provocative note.

• May 13 -- U.S. "High-Handed and Arrogant"
Reporter Steven Weisman pours skepticism all over Bush's Middle East proposals.

• April 20 -- Hedges Lauds Another Defender of Anti-Israeli Violence
Chris Hedges, infamous for being unplugged while delivering an anti-war commencement speech, profiles a pro-Palestinian professor that ignores his defense of violence against Israeli soldiers.

• April 9 -- Fiery in Cairo
Neil MacFarquhar files from Cairo on Arab reaction to the rebellion in Iraq: "Many commentators drew parallels between Israeli repression in the occupied territories--and its failure to pacify the Palestinians after more than three decades--and United States actions in Iraq."

• April 1 -- Pro-Palestinian Movie Leaves Reviewer "Infuriated"
Stephen Holden reviews an Israeli documentary focusing on the plight of Palestinians that leaves him "infuriated and mystified" at Israeli actions.

• March 29 -- Sharon "Bent On More Violence"?
Neil MacFarquhar's story on an aborted Arab-nation summit in Tunisia passes along this propaganda line: "Syria and Lebanon…[argued] that Arab public opinion would not abide such an overture to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel at a time when he seemed bent on more violence."

• March 23 -- Hamas Leader "Killed Just As He Finished the Dawn Prayers"
Neil MacFarquhar writes on Arab anger over the assassination of the "spiritual leader" of the terror-group Hamas, but calls him only "a Palestinian opponent to [Israeli] occupation."

• March 23 -- The "Perceived Threat" of Hamas?
Israel's assassination of Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the "spiritual leader" of the anti-Israel terrorist group Hamas, enables the Times to call Yassin a lot of names, among them "Icon" and "Perceived Threat"--but not "Terrorist."

• February 23 -- Noam Chomsky Makes the NYT
Radical left-winger and anti-American Noam Chomsky makes his apparent debut on the Times op-ed page--ironically, with a piece calling on the U.S. to pressure a foreign nation.

• February 20 -- Pox On Fox
Neil MacFarquhar sure knows how to hurt a guy. Reciting criticism of U.S.-sponsored Arab-language TV station Al Hurra, he notes: "Analysts have labeled it 'Fox News in Arabic.'"

• February 20 -- "Intifada? What Intifada?"
Elaine Sciolino's take on a EU anti-Semitism conference is stained by this puzzler: "Much of the debate focused on finding a definition for the new wave of anti-Semitic acts and statements that have swept through Europe since the Israeli crackdown on Palestinians in 2000." Didn't the Palestinian intifada have something to do with that "crackdown"?

• January 29 -- Hezbollah, an "Organization" of "Pioneers"
Ian Fisher on the anti-Israeli, anti-American terrorist group Hezbollah: "Mr. Tahir has no question whom to thank: Hezbollah, heroes to virtually all of southern Lebanon even if Israel and the United States put the armed Shiite Muslim group on the 'A team' of world terror."

• January 16 -- "Non-Violent" Terrorist Helpers in the Gaza Strip
James Bennet claims the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement "uses nonviolent tactics to impede Israeli Army actions in the West Bank and Gaza." But the group doesn't mind violence among its Palestinian allies.

• January 15 -- "Civil Rights Leaders" Tell Bush: Stay Away from MLK Day
Jeffrey Gettleman and Ariel Hart find anti-Bush racial animosity in Atlanta: "Many of Atlanta's civil rights leaders are outraged about Mr. Bush's planned visit to commemorate Dr. King's 75th birthday….It seems to have lifted the lid on long-simmering anger many blacks feel toward Mr. Bush. Some Bush policies, including tax cuts mainly benefiting those with higher incomes and cutting back on welfare-type programs, have alienated black voters, analysts say."

• January 15 -- More Double Standards on the Gaza Strip
While Greg Myre is preoccupied with the sex of a suicide bomber that killed four Israelis, Craig Smith's calls embattled Jewish settlers in Gaza "flagships of extreme Zionism [that] provoke Palestinian fury."

• January 5 -- Bulldozing Balance in the Gaza Strip
Craig Smith, new to the Israel beat, proves to be an old hand when delivering a credulous pro-Palestinian slant.

• January 2 -- Putting the Onus on Israel
The Times typically puts the onus for "peace" on Israel, not Palestinian terrorists trying to kill Israelis. Reporter Craig Smith joins the Palestinians' chief negotiator in pushing Israel to make a move, and seems convinced Israel can pave the way toward "peace" by letting up on terrorist enclaves.

• December 2 -- An Officially Unofficial Middle East Peace Deal
James Bennet's story on a "peace deal" touted by left-wing Israelis is accompanied by this photo caption: "Palestinian protesters yesterday tried to stop an unidentified delegate from going to Geneva to meet Israeli delegates and sign an official truce." But the treaty is unofficial--neither government is involved.

• December 2 -- Propping Up Prospects for a Left-Wing "Peace" Deal
Elaine Sciolino calls an unofficial left-wing Israeli peace deal a rebuke to "hard-line" Ariel Sharon, and indulges in moral equivalency.

• October 15 -- Repositioning a Left-Wing Peace Plan
Greg Myre tries to situate a left-wing Middle East peace plan in the mainstream of Israeli politics, though it's so pro-Palestinian even liberal Ehud Barak blasts it as "irresponsible and damaging to the State of Israel."

• October 14 -- Minding Syria's Business
Neil MacFarquhar's latest Damascus dispatch again lays out the terror-sponsoring state's case against Israel, while refusing to identify Hamas and Islamic Jihad as terror groups, simply saying they've been "labeled" so by Israel and the U.S.

• August 20 -- Terror in Israel, Real and Imagined
Tuesday’s piece by Middle East correspondent Ian Fisher blames “radical” “right-wing” Jewish settlers for hypothetical future attacks on Palestinians. The next day, a Palestinian suicide bomber killed Jewish civilians for real.

• August 14 -- The Times’ “Don’t Name the Victim” Mentality
Ian Fisher’s story from Israel, “2 Suicide Bombers Fulfilled Their Fathers’ Worst Fears,” profiles the fathers of two young terrorist bombers and talks about the anger the boys felt toward Israel. As for the victims: “They killed one Israeli man who was grocery shopping and an 18-year-old army recruit at a bus stop.” So much for the victims.

• August 13 -- “Charitable” Impulses Toward Hamas
James Bennet compares Israeli militant-turned-prime minister Menachem Begin to the terrorist group Hamas and becomes the third Times reporter to favorably cite the group’s “charitable” impulses.

• July 21 -- Anti-Israel Terrorism Would Have Been OK?
James Bennet writes on rising crime in Palestinian towns: “They were not masked men battling for the Palestinian national cause, just three thugs trying to kidnap a man off the street, apparently for ransom.” Would Bennet have thought better of the men if they’d been terrorists?

• July 8 -- Greg Myre’s Own Mideast Road Map
The first draft of reporter Greg Myre’s article from Jerusalem falsely asserts the Middle East peace “road map” requires Israel to release Palestinian prisoners.

• June 25 -- Targeting Terrorists Bad for Middle East Peace?
A Times cover story suggests a recent round-up of suspected Hamas terrorists is a blow against peace and laments “harsh Israeli reprisals.”

• June 25 -- Labeling Bias, at Home and In Israel
Greg Myre calls Hamas, whose goal is the destruction of Israel, an “Islamic group” and notes its “extensive network of schools, health clinics and welfare groups.”

• June 17 -- The Times’ Muddled Middle East Morality
A front-page story by Greg Myre and Ian Fisher again shifts the blame for the failure of the Middle East “peace process” to the Israeli government, rather than the Palestinian terror group Hamas. The Times also attempts to position Israel and Hamas at two extremes--with the PLO as a voice of moderation.

• June 16 -- The Softer Side of Hamas
Ian Fisher’s profile of Palestinian terrorist group Hamas begins: “To most Israelis, Hamas is a terrorist group and little more, the core of Palestinian hatred that explodes against Israeli civilians who are innocently shopping or riding on buses.” But that’s just one side of the story, according to Fisher.

• June 13 -- The Times’ “Promising” Young Terrorist
Judging by the sympathetic headline to Ian Fisher’s story, “A Sudden, Violent End For a Promising Youth,” one might think it was about a victim of the recent deadly bus bombing in Jerusalem. But the Times is talking about the bomber.

• June 12 -- Middle East Moral Equivalency Watch
A deadly blast by the Palestinian terror group Hamas, and an Israeli counterstrike, motivate the Times into a familiar pattern of Middle East moral equivalence, portraying the deaths of Israeli citizens and Palestinian terrorists as equally worthy of condemnation.

• June 11 -- Israel Targeting of a Terrorist “Damages” Peace Talks
Middle East correspondent Greg Myre again puts the entire burden for the success of the “peace process” on Israel, saying its retaliation against a terror attack “further damaged an already fragile Middle East peace plan.”

• June 4 -- It’s Still All Bush’s Fault
Citing a poll, reporter Christopher Marquis claims the Iraq war “only deepened international skepticism toward the U.S., its global policies and President Bush.” But the Times plays down the fact the same countries who feel threatened by America also respect terrorists who threaten the U.S. Marquis also distorts a poll finding revealing the hostility Muslim nations feel toward Israel’s existence.

• May 30 -- Profiles In Terrorism
Friday’s front-page is dominated by profiles of two Palestinian suicide bombers, with one called “the first Palestinian woman to blow herself up on behalf of an Islamist group.” Isn’t the Times taking its gender-equity obsession a bit far?

• May 28 -- Times Writers (Don’t) Get Religion
Laurie Goodstein is disturbed by Christians looking for converts in the Muslim world: “Evangelicals have always believed that all other religions are wrong, but what is notable now is the vituperation.” Plus, the region of Israel that Ariel Sharon “calls” Judea and Samaria.

• May 21 -- Reporter Chris Hedges’ Pompous Pacifism
Times reporter Chris Hedges thought “progressive” Rockford College would be a safe place to indulge his pompous pacifism: “I want to speak to you today about war and empire….We are embarking on an occupation that if history is any guide will be as damaging to our souls as it will be to our prestige and power and security.” The graduates thought differently.

• May 20 -- A Video Game Platform…for Terrorism?
Daniel Wakin’s story from Beirut gives free publicity to a Hezbollah video game whose object is to kill as many Jews as possible. Wakin’s ambivalent attitude toward the game is best rated P--for peculiar.

• April 14 -- Sand In Friedman’s Gears
Thomas Friedman knows why Arab countries don’t like us: “Partly it's because America has used its power out here more to defend oil and Israel than democracy.” But isn’t Israel the sole democracy in the Middle East?

• April 2 -- Arab Volunteers for Hussein “Driven by Pride, Religion”
Neil MacFarquhar’s story on Arab volunteers for Hussein is headlined: “For Arabs Driven by Pride and Religion, the New Jihad Is in Iraq.” What about “Bloodlust and Anti-Semitism?”

• March 17 -- Didn't Lerner Its Lesson
Eric Lichtblau's piece, "Tens of Thousands March Against Iraq War," included criticism of ANSWER, the hard-left organizers of the anti-war protest in Washington. ANSWER pleaded ignorance to the Times: "We don't police our speakers at all. People here raise Palestine, Colombia, everything, but it's all basically about peace." Michael Lerner might disagree. A classic liberal, editor of Jewish magazine Tikkun, he's not sufficiently anti-Israel for ANSWER, which barred him from addressing a rally. The Times reported it a week ago, but Lichtblau let ANSWER off the hook.