On Wednesday afternoon, The New Yorker Union, representing employees of the leftist magazine The New Yorker, quoted a phrase commonly used by the enemies of Israel calling for the destruction of the state and the possible genocide of Jews: “From the river to the sea.”
The New Yorker Union tweeted, “Solidarity with Palestinians from the river to the sea who went on a 24-hour strike today for dignity and liberation.”
The New Yorker Union (@newyorkerunion) expresses “solidarity” with Palestinians by quoting a phrase—“from the river to the sea”—commonly understood as a war cry for Israel’s destruction. [They later deleted it with a mea culpa.] pic.twitter.com/u6L5MmgaA0
— John-Paul Pagano (@johnpaulpagano) May 19, 2021
The New Yorker Union later issued an apology, writing, “We stand in solidarity with the Palestinians who went on strike for dignity and rights. We’ve removed our original post, which used a phrase with connotations that distracted from our intended message of solidarity. Solidarity is important—and so is accountability. We apologize.”
Solidarity is important—and so is accountability. We apologize.
— The New Yorker Union (@newyorkerunion) May 19, 2021
Both the initial tweet and the display of “accountability” were met with additional blowback.
“The New Yorker Union deleted its call for war and genocide and replaced it with a statement of solidarity with those pursuing war and genocide. Important distinction,” Noah Pollack, the executive director of the Alliance Initiative wrote.
The New Yorker Union deleted its call for war and genocide and replaced it with a statement of solidarity with those pursuing war and genocide. Important distinction. https://t.co/fnPYSVCdba
— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) May 20, 2021
National Review’s David Harsanyi: “Oh, the slogan about pushing the Jews into the sea distracted from your solidarity message?”
Oh, the slogan about pushing the Jews into the sea distracted from your solidarity message? https://t.co/q4yglDqsSy
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) May 19, 2021
The New Yorker has evidenced anti-Israel bias before. In 2018 it ran a headline that read “Israel Kills Dozens of Unarmed Protesters in Gaza as Jared Kushner Speaks of Peace, in Jerusalem.”
CAMERA pointed out, “As the article itself notes, however, the IDF stated that ‘the rioters are hurling firebombs and explosive devices at the security fence and at IDF troops and are burning tires, throwing rocks and launching flaming objects with the intention of igniting fires in Israeli territory and harming IDF troops.'”
“While many other of the ‘protestors’ may have been unarmed, it’s unclear how the New Yorker knows whether those killed were armed or unarmed,” CAMERA continued. “The IDF follows rules of engagement and does not fire indiscriminately. It seems far more likely, then, that of the tens of thousands of protestors/rioters/those trying to breach the fence, most of the approximately 60 who were killed were the ones who were armed.”
CAMERA noted in February that The New Yorker had written a piece about the anti-Israel organization B’Tselem. CAMERA wrote:
Masha Gessen’s piece in the New Yorker is essentially an uncritical summary of B’Tselem’s report, which is titled, “A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid.” …
Gessen uncritically quotes B’Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad saying, on a zoom call, “the international community has … silently communicated that permanent subjugation of Palestinians was O.K. as long as it wasn’t spelled out in law …. The discourse has been untethered from reality, and this undermines the possibility of change.” But it is El-Ad and Gessen who are untethered from reality – Israel has offered Palestinians their independence in 2000, 2001, and 2008. It is the Palestinians that rejected those opportunities, and who walked away from negotiations again in 2014.
Gessen also ignores the intifadas and numerous terror attacks that necessitate some of the security measures about which Gessen and B’Tselem complain.