Israel reports irksome

Your large, blaring Jan. 4 headline on page 4 describing Jewish extremists in Israel being charged for an arson attack six months ago unintentionally (I assume) explains the absence of peace there. While Israeli authorities, as in most Western democracies, prosecute citizens who break laws and kill, Palestinian religious and political “leaders” promote and reward it in their schools, mosques and policies.

Furthermore, compare this article with a much smaller “In brief” piece, published two days earlier, about a “gunman” shooting people at a cafe in Tel Aviv; a continuation of the months-long, unprovoked (and underreported by the U.S. media) Arab attacks on Israeli civilians and police personnel. Somehow, the adjective “Arab” is missing in The Spokesman-Review’s article, although he and his family were extensively identified in Israel.

Seems to me there’s a double standard here in reporting the news from Israel. That’s probably not news to anyone with knowledge of, and experiences in, the region.

Joseph Harari

Spokane