We previously posted about an op-ed by Rachel Shabi published in The Independent which included an extremely misleading claim concerning the position of Israel’s defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, on the issue of the two-state solution.
Here’s the relevant passage:
“The man now in charge of the Israeli army and the military occupation of Palestinians in the West Bank…has vowed there will never be a Palestinian state,
We demonstrated that Shabi’s claim that Lieberman vowed “there will never be a Palestinian state” ignored positions he’s taken consistently since 2009 – covered widely in the media, including at the Independent – that he in fact supports the creation of a Palestinian state.
Indy editors responded to our complaint, and agreed to add additional text to clarify Lieberman’s position.
The passage in question now reads:
The man now in charge of the Israeli army and the military occupation of Palestinians in the West Bank is a Jewish settler, wants more settlements expansion, has previously vowed there will never be a Palestinian state (although has more recently made claims – which have been received with scepticism in many quarters – he supports a two-state solution)…
Of course, whether or not Shabi believes Lieberman is being sincere is beside the point. Her original language (‘he vowed there will never be a Palestinian state’) misled readers into believing that this was his current position on the issue.
We thank Indy editors for revising the passage to more accurately reflect Lieberman’s views.
