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Keeping Kerry Honest

Jerusalem Post reporter challenges comments on Israel by U.S. secretary of state.

David Sachs I Senior Copy Editor

A

t the Oct. 28 Jewish Community
Council media luncheon held
at the Detroit Athletic Club,
Michael Wilner, Washington bureau chief
of the Jerusalem Post, told about an inci-
dent while covering an Oct. 13 speech of
U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry. In it, Kerry
offered his take on the
recent rash of attacks by
Palestinians on Israelis.
But, Wilner said,
Kerry "got into some hot
water" over comments
he made regarding the
Michael Wilner
cause of the Palestinian
violence.
Speaking at Harvard
University, Kerry said, "What's happening
is that, unless we get going, a two-state
solution could conceivably be stolen from
everybody. And there's been a massive

increase in settlements
over the course of the
last years, and now
14 ■ 14 toi you have this violence
because there's a frustra-
tion that is growing"
Wilner said, "The
wire service reporters
John Kerry
didn't pick up on this
comment. I was struck
by it, because to me, it
really goes to the heart of the conflict"
He was concerned the wave of
Palestinian violence wasn't being charac-
terized as terrorism — and that, instead,
Kerry was providing justification for it.
Wilner reported Kerry's comments in a
Jerusalem Post online story on Oct. 14. He
wrote the headline himself, which went
viral: 'Kerry Links Wave of Terrorism in
Israel to Settlement Activity:"
Wilner noted, "The Jerusalem Post calls
these activities terrorism because the
attacks definitionally indiscriminately tar-

get civilians for political purposes.
"Kerry's comment goes to the heart of
the conflict, because where the United
States comes down on this very difficult
issue appears to be changing under the
current leadership.
"By choosing to rationalize it and
choosing to explain it — and by deciding
to assign blame — the administration
appeared, to an extent, to be justifying it.
"Every word that the secretary of
state utters when it comes to Israel is
picked apart" said Wilner. "So it should
really come as no surprise that the State
Department is extremely cautious"
The State Department was quick to
respond to Wilner's story. By the end of
the day on Oct. 14, the Post ran Wilner's
follow-up account, "State Department
Clarifies Kerry's Link between Terror
Wave and Settlements" In it, State
Department spokesman John Kirby
walked back implications from Kerry's
comments.

Kirby said, "The secretary wasn't say-
ing, well now you have the settlement
activity as the cause for the effect we're
seeing. Is it a source of frustration for
Palestinians? You bet it is, and the sec-
retary observed that. But this isn't about
affixing blame on either side here for the
violence. What we want to see is the vio-
lence cease"
Wilner said, "I think Kerry's comments
speak for themselves. That said, I think
giving Kerry the opportunity to elaborate
on his comments is something we are
committed to, and I think that the State
Department did take the opportunity to
elaborate on what was said.
"Ultimately, the line that came from the
secretary was that there was no justifica-
tion for this kind of violence. To me, that
was an evolution of the earlier statements.
"It is not our job to judge what the
secretary said — but it is our job to accu-
rately present what he said, and I think
that we did that. *

Informing The Media

JCRC hosts gathering of Detroit media to hear insider's view of issues facing Israel.

0

n Oct. 28, a select group of more than 50 media
professionals gained an insider's view of the
realities facing Israel from Michael Wilner,
Washington bureau chief of the Jerusalem Post. JCRC's
annual luncheon for Detroit media has become an essential
tool in ensuring Israel's perspective continues to be told
locally. The gathering included the publishers and editorial
editors, general managers, anchors, reporters, news direc-
tors and producers from all of the area's print, television and

radio media outlets.
For more than a decade, the annual media luncheon has
brought Israel's story to the media through Israeli dignitaries
and journalists. It is part of JCRC's ongoing efforts to help
area reporters understand Israel and the situation in the
Middle East — and to reinforce JCRC's role as the media
relations agency of the Detroit Jewish community. The
program was made possible through the support of former
JCRC officer Linda Finkel and her husband, Bob Finkel. *

Detroit Free Press Deputy Editorial Page Editor Brian

Dickerson asks a question following Michael Wilner's

presentation.

Fox2 Anchors Huel Perkins and Sherry Margolis chat

DPTV Senior Vice President Dan Alpert, WXYZ-7's Planning

JCRC Executive Director David Kurzmann and luncheon

with JCRC's Assistant Director-Media Relations Beverly K. Editor Dan Zachareck and Assistant News Director Barb

speaker Michael Wilner, Washington bureau chief of the

Phillips and Executive Director David Kurzmann.

Jerusalem Post

Roethler, JCRC's Beverly K. Phillips and David Kurzmann

and Michigan Radio News Director Vincent Duffy

November 12 • 2015

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