Two New York Times Journalists Signed Letter Blaming Israel for Genocide, Apartheid

Two New York Times journalists signed a letter that blamed Israel for genocide and apartheid, arguing that the country’s actions sparked the horrific terrorist attack on October 7, which claimed over 1.200 lives.

Jazmine Hughes and Jamie Lauren Keiles, both writers for the New York Times, were signatories on an October 26 letter from the group Writers Against the War on Gaza, which issued many incendiary accusations toward Israel. It also cited death statistics that have not been verified.

“Israel’s war against Gaza is an attempt to conduct genocide against the Palestinian people. This war did not begin on October 7th. However, in the last 19 days, the Israeli military has killed over 6,500 Palestinians, including more than 2,500 children, and wounded over 17,000,” it said.

Further claiming that Israel stole the land from Palestinians, the letter went on to call the country “an apartheid state, designed to privilege Jewish citizens at the expense of Palestinians, heedless of the many Jewish people, both in Israel and across the diaspora, who oppose their own conscription in an ethno-nationalist project.”

The letter concluded with a call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS).

“We act alongside other writers, scholars, and artists who have expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause, drawing inspiration from the Palestinian spirit of sumud, steadfastness, and resistance. Since 2004, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) has advocated for organizations to join a boycott of institutions representing the Israeli state or cultural institutions complicit with its apartheid regime,” it said.

Breitbart News reported in 2019 that Hughes had made numerous antisemitic comments even after the Times hired her.

“Jazmine Hughes, an associate editor of the New York Times Magazine, has made a series of racist and antisemitic comments on social media over a multi-year span. A number of the tweets came from Hughes’s personal account, which is associated with her Times email, after she was hired by the outlet in April 2015 and continued well into 2017,” it reported.

“Breitbart News has been able to confirm the authenticity of the tweets, which are still visible on Hughes’s page at the time of the publication of this story. While Twitter has not officially verified Hughes’ account, her official New York Times website biography links to the account, confirming it is in fact hers,” it added.

 

Editor’s Note:  This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.  The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.