Former White House reporter Helen Thomas honored by Abbas

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Nearly two years have passed since the long time journalist Helen Thomas was forced to resign after making anti-Semitic comments on camera. Since then, Thomas has been the subject of fierce criticism from both ends of the American political spectrum and from her fellow journalists. But on Sunday, she received an award - an honor from none other than Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas."

<snip>

"Representatives of the PLO in Washington released a statement claiming that the text of the prize was written to “recognize Thomas’ long career in the field of journalism, during which she defended the Palestinian position every step of the way.”

The event was also attended by PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi, who presented the medal to Thomas, bestowing upon her the honor said to have come from Abbas himself. According to the Washington PLO office’s statement, Ashrawi “presented Thomas with the appreciation and blessing of the president and the Palestinian people, for all of her actions supporting Palestine in the West.”

http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/former-white-house-reporter-helen-thomas-honored-by-abbas-1.422148

[oberliner]

1. Helen Thomas Denied Table For White House Correspondents Dinner

Veteran journalist Helen Thomas will not be getting her own table at the White House Correspondents Association's dinner next month at the Washington Hilton.

Thomas, a former WHCA president who covered 10 administrations before retiring from Hearst newspapers in 2010 over controversial comments about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was initially told by WHCA that she could purchase two tickets to the annual glitzy dinner. (The two-ticket offer still stands and Thomas is welcome to attend the dinner with a guest).

But in late February, Thomas sent a letter to WHCA board members asking for "the full board to consider [her] request" for a table. In the letter, Thomas said that she wanted to celebrate with her family and friends the 50th anniversary of women journalists getting the opportunity to attend the dinner -- a breakthrough she helped achieve during the Kennedy years.

The board acknowledged having received Thomas' letter in a Monday email to White House reporters, which included the minutes to its March 16 meeting, but ultimately decided to deny her request.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/26/helen-thomas-white-house-correspondents-association_n_1381021.html?ref=media

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. "Controversial comments"

Look, I applaud most of Helen's career, but she said that the Jews should go back to Europe.

Sorry, can't stand with those who don't know history, starting with Balfour 1917 and forward.

[shira]

4. She also said Zionists control the White House, Congress , Hollywood, & Wall Street. NT

[Ruby the Liberal]

5. I had missed that one.

Nothing anti-semitic about that, is there.

[azurnoir]

6. what a shocking development

Thomas will be allowed to attend the dinner, why a letter writing campaign or perhaps a boycott of the dinner should be initiated immediately by concerned parties, who cares what she did 50 years ago, someone else would almost certainly have accomplished the same things as she did

[oberliner]

7. Medea Benjamin is already on it

She and other members of the BDS organization are threatening a disruption if she is not given her own table as she requested.

[Ruby the Liberal]

8. Is she dragging Code Pink into this

or keeping it a BDS event?

[azurnoir]

9. well okay but that's not what I meant

I meant would there be an opposite campaign of boycott because she was being allowed to attend at all

[Ruby the Liberal]

10. Why should she not be allowed to attend?

Is someone opposing that?

[azurnoir]

11. I did not say she should or should not

but I do expect protest either way

[Ruby the Liberal]

12. Sorry - didn't mean to insinuate that you did/didn't agree

only asking if you knew the possible whos and whys.

[shira]

2. I'd be shocked if Abbas didn't honor Helen. She speaks for him. n/t

[Fozzledick]

13. Israel's U.S. envoy: Award to Helen Thomas shows Palestinians aren't ready for peace

A decision by the Palestinian mission to the United States to honor journalist Helen Thomas proves the Palestinians inability to meet the "basic requisites of peace," Israel's ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren said on Tuesday.

Oren, responding to a Sunday ceremony in which Thomas was marked for her support of the "Palestinian position, said he "was appalled by the award ceremony given by the PLO delegation in Washington to Helen Thomas, who has been completely shunned by all decent Americans after making anti-Semitic remarks, along with teaching Palestinian children to hate the Jewish State and to glorify suicide bombers."

"This atrocious act is an indication of the Palestinian Authority’s failure to meet the basic requisites of peace," he added.

Thomas, a senior White House reporter, drew fire in 2010 when, when asked of her opinion on Israel, she said: "Tell them that they need to get out of Palestine, and return home to Germany, Poland, and America."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-s-u-s-envoy-award-to-helen-thomas-shows-palestinians-aren-t-ready-for-peace-1.422360

[shira]

14. Jews who are appalled at antisemitic bigotry & hate are the real obstacles to peace.

In fact, Jews criticizing antisemites, who display nothing but contempt and hatred for zionists of a certain ethnicity, are right-wingers and bigoted haters.

This is common progressive knowledge.

Jew haters = good.

Those who have a problem with Jew haters = bad rightwing bigots.

Jewish people should be more sensitive and open-minded towards anti-Semites who are repulsed by all things Jewish.