If there were any doubt remaining that President Clinton is intending to divide Jerusalem, it should be dispelled by the editorial in this morning's Times. Mr. Clinton's remarks on Friday signaling a willingness to move the American embassy in Israel to what he called "West Jerusalem" have been widely interpreted as an attempt to help Israel by recognizing its capital. But the remarks in fact signaled a dangerous attempt to divide the city. The Times grasps the implications of Mr. Clinton's remarks and in today's editorial essentially endorses Mr. Clinton's plan to divide the city. The Times editorial, as a result, is full of language about "West Jerusalem" and "East Jerusalem" and "a new, Palestinian-ruled city of Arab Jerusalem." The editorial claims that "East Jerusalem" is "the central issue of the peace talks."
The missing fact, of course, is that since 1967 there has not been "West Jerusalem" or "East Jerusalem" but only one united city of Jerusalem. Mr. Clinton's attempt to divide the city is a blatant violation of an American law, the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, which stated as the "policy of the United States" that "Jerusalem should remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected" and that "Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the state of Israel."
But that is not the only distortion or missing fact that underlies the Clinton-New York Times approach to the Jerusalem issue. The most shameless is the attempt to enlist -- posthumously! -- Yitzhak Rabin in the attempt to divide the Israeli capital. So, for instance, a news story in this morning's Times reports with respect to the embassy move: "Some Israeli prime ministers, including Yitzhak Rabin, have also been careful not to encourage the issue, on the grounds that it would unnecessarily inflame the Palestinians and set back peace prospects." The best answer to that claim is simply to quote Rabin's own remarks during his final visit to America before being assassinated. The date was October 25, 1995, and the setting was a "Jerusalem 3000" ceremony in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. "In Israel, we all agree on one notion," Rabin said. "There are no 'two Jerusalems.' There is only one Jerusalem. For us, Jerusalem is not a subject for compromise." Rabin went on, reacting to the passage by Congress of the Jerusalem Embassy Act: "Now is a time to say thank you. . . . We welcome every new embassy in Jerusalem. We extend a particular welcome to our great friend, the United States of America."
Pete King, 'Conservative': A cover story about Rep. Rick Lazio in this morning's New York Times magazine portrays Mr. Lazio as a moderate. A distinction is made between Mr. Lazio and "conservative" Rep. Pete King, another Republican from Long Island. Only by the Times' skewed standard could Mr. King be considered a conservative. King has a 41 percent lifetime rating from the AFL-CIO and a 76 percent rating from the American Conservative Union, placing him roughly in the center of the political spectrum. As the Times magazine article itself points out lower down, Mr. King has been a vocal critic of Newt Gingrich. Mr. King was one of the few Republicans who voted against impeaching President Clinton. He's a friend of AFL-CIO president John Sweeney. Mr. King is basically a moderate Northeastern Republican like Lazio. Calling him "conservative" says not much about Mr. King but a lot about the Times.
Gun Buyback: A story in the national section of today's New York Times portrays congressional Republicans and "opponents of gun control" as blocking an effort by the Clinton administration "to buy back guns from private owners." The issue is framed mainly as an example of the National Rifle Association flexing its lobbying muscle. But a report in the metro section on July 11 quoted a respected expert as saying the gun buyback programs don't have the desired effect of reducing gun-related violence. The July 11 article quoted Lawrence Sherman, the president of the International Society of Criminology and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, as saying, "I think they're wasting their money." The July 11 article said Mr. Sherman has written a recent study for the Justice department that listed gun buyback programs under the heading "what doesn't work." And the July 11 article said Mr. Sherman warned that individuals who took advantage of the program could use the money they are paid for their old guns to buy more powerful new guns.
What's going on here? Simple: when a gun buyback program is announced by the Republican -appointed New York City police commissioner, the Times is against the program. When it is announced by the Democratic president and blocked by congressional Republicans, the Times is for the program. Professor Sherman is probably correct on the merits, but the nature of the Times is such that even when it gets a story right on July 11, it can manage to miss the point on July 30.
Omar Who? A story in the Sunday Styles section of this morning's Times contains a reference to "Omar Walker," "the 29-year-old founder of BlackPlanet.com and an Internet analyst on CNBC." We think maybe they mean Omar Wasow. The BlackPlanet.com site names him as its executive director and an analyst on MSNBC.