New York Times Reports Anti-Israel Propaganda as Fact

Covering the recent controversy over building and demolition orders in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem, New York Times reporter Christine Hauser (July 9, 2005) credulously repeated false allegations that Palestinians in Jerusalem were "discriminated against when applying for building permits," reported as fact groundless claims that Israel has attempted to "change the city's demography," and accepted without challenge charges that Israeli construction on the outskirts of the city threatened to cut it off from Palestinian cities in the West Bank. Hauser is apparently unaware that Arabs in Jerusalem have actually built new housing units at a faster rate than have Jews.

According to a detailed report by Justus Weiner, Illegal Construction in Jerusalem, the city "has authorized more than 36,000 permits for new housing units in the Arab sector, more than enough to meet the needs of Arab residents through legal construction until 2020"; and that "Both Arabs and Jews typically wait 4-6 weeks for permit approval, enjoy a similar rate of application approvals, and pay an identical fee ($3,600) for water and sewage hook-ups on the same size living unit."