Parenthetically speaking

In his first televised address after the Gaza evacuation, Mahmoud Abbas told the Palestinian people yesterday, “Today Gaza, tomorrow the West Bank and Jerusalem.” Two news services inserted parenthetical qualifiers that Abbas never directly implied:

* Reuters:

“Today Gaza, tomorrow the West Bank and (Arab East) Jerusalem,” he said, referring to the Palestinian demand for a state in all those territories captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

* CNN:

“Today Gaza, tomorrow the West Bank and (East) Jerusalem,” he said, referring to the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

For comparison, see the BBC, which quoted Abbas straight, allowing readers to form their own opinions. Given the sensitivity of Jerusalem’s status, we have to question Reuters’ and CNN’s handling of the quote.