Helen Thomas Is Not a Racist

It is clear in the secretly-recorded video clips of Helen Thomas which have now circulated widely via YouTube that the American journalist, who is nearly 90 years old, was laughing and joking with Rabbi Nesenoff during the conversation in which she expressed opinions which have provoked an outcry that shows no sign of abating.

Thomas said to her interviewer, who requested a comment on Israel, “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine … Remember, these people are occupied, and it’s their land. Not German. It’s not Poland.” The rabbi pressed her: “So where should they go? What should they do?” Thomas responded: “They can go home … Poland … Germany … And America and everywhere else.” The interview concludes with laughing between Thomas and the rabbi, who then published the interview on his website.

Of course, Thomas’ comments came at the climax of the controversy surrounding the flotilla ship, amidst worldwide anger toward Israel, which only increased the intensity of the campaign that the Israel lobby launched against Thomas — the dean of the White House Press Corps, who has witnessed half a century of events and reported on eleven consecutive Presidents — eventually forcing her to apologize and resign.

Journalists, columnists, and professional organizations have all joined in on the campaign against Thomas. Her articles and events have been cancelled, and even the White House expressed concern and condemned her words. Many have raced to distance themselves from her, a woman who has symbolized incisive journalism and professionalism throughout the course of her journalistic work at the White House.

One of the ironies of this story is that many of the pieces reveling in the downfall of Helen Thomas have been written in journals and on websites which once published news by Thomas. Now their commentaries about Thomas teem with opinions filled with hatred, racism toward Arabs, Palestinians, the elderly (a number of commentators have made fun of Thomas’ age), Muslims, and even racist opinions against President Barack Obama and against large groups of Americans and Europeans.

All this appears part of the nature of individuals…

Another hidden irony here is that Thomas is among a group of American opinion-makers that form their opinions, positions and commentaries through debate. In this process, all possible points of view are explored, the uncontroversial and the odious alike.

Prominent commentators in America media like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Howard Stern, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly, to mention only a few, have expressed a series of comments and opinions that are racist or discriminatory against African-Americans, immigrants and homosexuals, not to mention Arabs and Muslims. These opinions are widely published on the internet, television screens, radio stations and newspapers.

No one has demanded resignations from any of these commentators, they have not had their programs or articles cancelled, and they have not had to issue official statements distancing themselves from their opinions.

When it was officially proposed as one of the solutions to end the crisis in the region, a plan to move Palestinians to Jordan did not cause an outcry, force anyone to resign or put an end to anyone’s career.

Not everyone who is critical of or opposed to Israel’s policies is hostile to Jews.

Many have fallen into the trap of conflating Israel with the Jews, and the trap of anti-Semitism.

The statements of Helen Thomas were not among those.