Helen Thomas, the most senior White House press correspondent, is facing a storm of criticism after saying Jews should “Get the hell out of Palestine” and go “home” to Germany, Poland and the United States.
In a Youtube interview conducted by RabbiLive.com last week outside a White House Jewish heritage event, Rabbi David Nesenoff asked the 89-year-old Hearst Newspapers columnist her opinion of Israel. She responded that Palestine is an occupied country and that Jews should leave and return to where they came from.
Thomas has issued a statement of apology on her website saying, “I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon.”
Her apology fails to address her actually statements. Her statement was an anti-Semitic attack against Jews, not a political attack against Israel. Telling Israelis or Jews to “go back to Germany” means one thing to the children of Holocaust survivors: “die.”
In addition, her statement seemed to overlook a demographic reality: many Israeli Jews are not of European ancestry. In fact, only 35% of recently descended Israeli Jews are descended from European Jews. 25% are descended from Jews who emigrated from Arab countries, Iran, Turkey and Central Asia. Moreover, 1.9% are descended from Ethiopian Jews and 0.8 percent are descended form Indian Jews. Returning to many of these countries is almost most certainly a suicidal decision.
Former Bush Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, who claims to have had a close relationship with Thomas when he was at the White house, called on Thomas to lose her job:
“She should lose her job over this,” Fleischer said in an email. “As someone who is Jewish, and as someone who worked with her and used to like her, I find this appalling.”
“She is advocating religious cleansing. How can Hearst stand by her? If a journalist, or a columnist, said the same thing about blacks or Hispanics, they would already have lost their jobs.”
Thomas is a long-time critic of Israel having compared the IDF to Nazi Germany. The day after the Israeli raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla, Thomas asked White House spokesman Robert Gibbs how the Obama administration could support the Gaza blockade and the way Israel treats the Palestinians.
More importantly, however, is that Thomas cannot claim ignorance. She was alive and even reported on World War II. She knows what occurred in the Holocaust and understands precisely what her statements meant.
All in all, the mainstream media overlooked Thomas’ anti-Semitic statement. Some have started to debate whether the White House should revoke her press pass while others have argued that her employer, Hearst Newspapers, should fire her.
As things stand, it is unlikely that Thomas will stop attending White House press events. It is a sad sign that the White House, Hearst Newspapers, and many of her fellow journalists have not denounced her statement and feel comfortable working with a woman who voices such beliefs.
Update
Helen Thomas' agent Nine Speaker Inc. announced that it would no longer represent her.
"It is with a heavy heart that Nine Speakers Inc. announces its resignation as the agent for Helen Thomas, Dean of the White House Press Corps," agency president Diane Nine wrote. “Ms. Thomas has had an esteemed career as a journalist, and she has been a trailblazer for women, helping others in her profession, and beyond. However, in light of recent events, Nine Speakers is no longer able to represent Ms. Thomas, nor can we condone her comments on the Middle East."
Helen Thomas' publisher, Hearst Newspapers, released a related statement Monday announcing Thomas would retire.
