Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticizes The New York Times for publishing an opinion piece written by jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti over the weekend that failed to note that he is a convicted terrorist who is serving multiple life terms for the murder of Israelis.
“I read an article in the New York Times yesterday that presents the chief terrorist as a parliamentarian and a leader,” Netanyahu says during a visit the southern Negev city of Dimona.
Marwan Barghouti, file photo (Flash90)
Calling Barghouti a leader and parliamentarian “is like calling [Syrian President Bashar] Assad a pediatrician,” Netanyahu says. “These [jailed terrorists] are murderers, terrorists, and we will never lose our clarity that we are on the side of justice and morality. This moral clarity and willingness to fight against those who seek to destroy us are our greatest strengths.”
The Times on Sunday issued a clarification to Barghouti’s op-ed, acknowledging the piece “neglected to provide sufficient context by stating the offenses of which he was convicted.”
Netanyahu says the paper only amended the text “because we pointed it out to them.”
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