New York Times bashes PM’s ‘racist rant’

In a strongly worded editorial, the New York Times opposes Netanyahu’s recent rejection of Palestinian statehood, and his “concern” on Tuesday about high turnout rates among Arab Israelis.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s outright rejection of a Palestinian state and his racist rant against Israeli Arab voters on Tuesday showed that he has forfeited any claim to representing all Israelis,” it writes.

“His behavior in the past six years — aggressively building Israeli homes on land that likely would be within the bounds of a Palestinian state and never engaging seriously in negotiations — has long convinced many people that he has no interest in a peace agreement. But his statement this week laid bare his duplicity, confirmed Palestinian suspicions and will make it even harder for him to repair his poisoned relations with President Obama, who has invested heavily in pushing a two-state solution.”

Netanyahu’s “outrageous appeal” to right-wing voters on the Arab Israeli vote “added to the ugliness of the campaign,” the editorial says.

Read the full editorial here.