Corrie Verdict: Time Magazine Slays Objectivity

The headline of Karl Vick’s report on the Rachel Corrie verdict in Time Magazine is a pretty good indicator of his personal feelings:

The usage of the adjective “slain” or the verb “to slay” usually means the violent killing of someone intentionally, the exact opposite of the Israeli court ruling.

Clearly Vick disagrees with the verdict which is hardly surprising as he states that his wife volunteered to assist the Corrie family. While he may have had the decency and professionalism to admit a conflict of interest, shouldn’t this have meant that he was just a little bit too close to the story he was reporting on?

Vick also contends:

But filing suit in Israel in hopes of producing firm facts meant squaring off against the IDF, the most admired institution in the country, routinely ranked far above any elected official or organ. Among Israel’s Jewish majority, identification with the military is almost total, and not only because young Jewish men are obligated to three years service in it (two years for women).

Even if the IDF is a respected institution for most Israelis, this does not, as Vick implies, mean that the Israeli legal system is not independent and capable of making judgments based on the rule of law over popular opinion.

But then, with Vick’s previous record of disdain for most things Israeli, it’s hardly a surprise that the Israeli legal system is another one to add to his list.