Haaretz editor David Landau (pictured) confirmed he urged Condi Rice that the US needs to “rape” Israel for the sake of Mideast peace. The NY Jewish Week writes:
When contacted this week, Landau said the description was “inaccurate” and “a perversion of what I said.” He said his views had been delivered with “much more sophistication.”
But he added: “I did say that in general, Israel wants to be raped — I did use that word — by the U.S., and I myself have long felt Israel needed more vigorous U.S. intervention in the affairs of the Middle East.” . . . .
But Landau said he had no regrets and that, on the contrary, he was pleased . . .
Isi Leibler responds:
Anyone familiar with Israel’s diplomatic history will be aware that the worst fear of government after government was the prospect of the United States alone or in conjunction with another power, seeking to impose a settlement which would be to Israel’s political detriment or compromise its vital security interests.
By any benchmark, Landau’s behavior as an Israeli citizen would be deemed unacceptable.
But it is surely unconscionable that the editor of one of Israel’s most influential newspapers, which also appears in an English and global internet version, could urge an American Secretary of State to “rape” his own government. If ever there was a crossing of every red line in terms of propriety, national integrity, and civic responsibility, this extraordinary intervention tops the bill. This is surely not behaviour befitting the editor of a major newspaper.
See further coverage in the NY Sun.
