ISRAEL MATZAV: Dead, dead the wicked witch is dead!

Helen Thomas has gone to the crematorium. 

Thomas grew up in Detroit, the daughter of Lebanese immigrants. Middle Eastern affairs were a strong interest and impromptu comments about Israel and the Palestinians in May 2010 were her undoing.

Asked by an interviewer from the website rabbilive.com if she had any comments about Israel, Thomas responded, "Get the hell out of Palestine." She said Jews should "go home, to Poland and Germany, America and everywhere else."

After the interview spread on the Internet, her comments were criticized by the White House, the White House Correspondents' Association, the co-author of one of her books and the agency that handled her speaking engagements, among others. Shortly after, she announced her retirement, two months short of her 90th birthday.

In a February 16 interview on “The Joy Behar Show” on CNN in 2011, Thomas told Behar that once World War II ended, the Jews “didn’t have to go anywhere really because they weren’t being persecuted anymore. But they were taking other people’s land.”

She was slammed by both sides of the political spectrum. Later that year Thomas, who was a correspondent since the presidency of John F. Kennedy, stood by her original comments and accused Jewish lobbyists and politicians of distorting her remarks.

Thomas later issued a statement: "I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon."

However, follow-up remarks about how “the Zionists” own Congress, the White House, Hollywood and Wall Street caused further uproar, and prompted the Society of Professional Journalists to drop an award named for Thomas, who was a fixture on the White House beat for decades.

Asked on Behar’s program is she considers herself anti-Semitic, Thomas, whose parents were Lebanese, said, “Hell no, I’m a Semite.” Of the Jews she said, “They’re not Semites. Most of them are from Europe.”

Asked if she regretted making the remark that ended her career in Washington, she said, “I have regrets that everybody’s misinterpreted it and distorted it,” singling out former George W. Bush White House spokesman Ari Fleischer and Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman.

“We have organized lobbyists in favor of Israel, you can’t open your mouth,” she said. “If you say one thing about Israel, you’re off limits.”

 May the names of the wicked rot away.

Helen Thomas continues to shoot off her anti-Semitic mouth and the media continue to cover for her

It's been nearly two years since a disgraced Helen Thomas was forced to resign as a White House correspondent. But Yid with Lid reports that the nonagenarian Thomas continues to spout anti-Semitic diatribes, as both the diatribes and the circumstances of her firing are covered up by the mainstream media.

If you want more proof of Helen Thomas' hatred, then examine what she has said since her "resignation."

Just six months after her firing retirement Thomas was at it again (again it was captured on video and again the story was broken on The Lid and Big Journalism. Ironically a speech at a Arab anti-bias conference Thomas was asked about her statements on that video.

"I paid the price for that," said Thomas, a longtime White House correspondent. "But it was worth it, to speak the truth. The Zionists have to understand that's their country, too. Palestinians were there long before any European Zionists."

Alluding to the anti-Semitic claim that Jews control the media, Thomas said:

"You can not say anything (critical) about Israel in this country.

That was the nicest thing Thomas said all night. In her speech about discrimination against Arabs she launched into an anti-Semitic tirade about how those rich Jews control America (video embedded below).

In a speech that drew a standing ovation, Thomas claimed:

the whole question of money involved in politics."

"We are owned by propagandists against the Arabs. There's no question about that. Congress, the White House, and Hollywood, Wall Street, are owned by the Zionists. No question in my opinion. They put their money where there mouth is…We're being pushed into a wrong direction in every way.

Remember what I said before about examining peoples words? When she said that Palestinians were there long before any European Zionists, Thomas was was simply being historically inaccurate and biased against Israel. But when she said the media Congress, the White House, and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by Zionists. Thomas was using traditional anti-Semitic libels straight out of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. There is the distinction Michael Mine suggested was non existent.

Read the whole thing.

PLO mission in US honors Helen Thomas

From Palestine Press Agency:

The High Commission for the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington honored the American journalist and writer of Lebanese descent, Helen Thomas.

The award ceremony was held at the home of President of the Commission General of the PLO in Washington, Ambassador Maen Rashid Ereikat, in recognition of the long path of Thomas in the field of journalism and writing, which has long defended the Palestinian cause.

The ceremony was attended by a group of ambassadors, diplomats and representatives of the Arab embassies, journalists and human rights associations and American Arab leaders in the United States, with the participation of a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hanan Ashrawi.

Ashrawi gave Thomas a medal on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas, and forwarded her greetings and appreciation of the president and the Palestinian leadership, for all she did to help the Palestinian cause in the West.

Ambassador Ereikat gave a certificate of appreciation to Thomas on behalf of the Commissioner General of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington, praised her achievements that she always talked about our people's right to liberty and self-determination.

He also expressed his thanks to Thomas on behalf of all Palestinians in the homeland and diaspora, emphasizing the importance of all that put forward for the rights of our people deprived of the American political landscape.

Hey, the PLO honors terrorists, child killers and someone who helped the Nazis with their genocideagainst Jews. 

What's wrong with honoring a mere anti-semite as well?

The Very First Question Helen Thomas Ever Asked Barak Obama

Helen Thomas to Playboy: White House in pockets of the Israeli lobbies

Contributing Editor David Hochman got the idea to call Thomas to see if she wanted to talk...They also broke bread at her favorite Palestinian restaurant. “I was curious whether I’d find the ranting woman from the YouTube video,” Hochman says. “She turned out to be a person in full possession of her faculties and impressively articulate. Mostly she was the Thomas the public has known forever: feisty, passionate and not afraid to speak up.” Does Hochman, who is Jewish, believe Thomas is an anti-Semite? “I’ll let the reader decide. But I did think it was amusing when she presented a plate of ham sandwiches and then said, ‘Oh, I hope I haven’t served the wrong thing.’ ”

PLAYBOY: Take us back to the White House courtyard on May 27 when Rabbi David Nesenoff pointed his camera at you and asked for your comments on Israel. 

THOMAS: He pulled that thing out like a jackknife...I said, “They should get the hell out of Palestine.” 

PLAYBOY: Did you realize how controversial those words were as you spoke them? 

THOMAS: I knew I’d hit the third rail. You cannot say anything about Israel in this country. But I’ve lived with this cause for many years. Everybody knows my feelings that the Palestinians have been shortchanged in every way. Sure, the Israelis have a right to exist—but where they were born, not to come and take someone else’s home...—I was going for broke. I had reached the point of no return. You finally get fed up...I understand they formed Jews for Helen Thomas at one point...I also heard from Jimmy Carter. He called a few weeks later...It was very nice of him to call, but I don’t want to get him into trouble. 

...there’s no understanding of the Palestinians at all. I mean, they’re living there and these people want to come and take their homes and land and water and kill their children and kill them...Our government bribes the Israelis by saying, “Please come to the [negotiating] table and we’ll give you this and we’ll give you that.” Obama’s last offer to the Israelis was $22 billion in new fighter planes [Editor’s note: The offer was actually just under $3 billion], a veto at the UN for anything pro-Arab or pro-Palestinian and a three-month freeze on the colonization and settlers. I mean, what is this? They gave away the store...Stop all this aid to Israel when they’re killing people!

PLAYBOY: It was your follow-up comment, when you said the Jews should go back to Poland, Germany and America, that really infuriated people.

THOMAS: ...What I meant was they should stay where they are because they’re not being persecuted—not since World War II, not since 1945. If they were, we sure would hear about it. Instead, they initiated the Jackson-Vanik law, which said the U.S. would not trade with Russia unless it allowed unlimited Jewish emigration. But it was not immigration to the United States, which would have been fine with me. It was to go to Palestine and uproot these people, throw them out of their homes, which they have done through several wars. That’s not fair...What is this? How can anybody accept it? I mean, Jewish-only roads? Would anyone tolerate something like that in America? White-only roads? 

PLAYBOY: You mean Israeli-only roads, not Jewish only, right? [Editor’s note: Israel closes certain roads to Palestinians, but roads are open to all Israeli citizens and to other nationals, regardless of religious background.]

THOMAS: Israeli-only roads, okay. But it’s more than semantics because the Palestinians are deprived of owning these roads. This is their land. I’m sorry, but we’re talking about foreigners who came and said, “God gave this land to us.”...
PLAYBOY: Do you acknowledge that some Palestinian behavior over the years, including hijacking and the use of suicide bombers, has been wrong and has added to the problem? 

THOMAS: In an ideal world passive resistance and world disarmament would be great. Unfortunately we don’t live in that world. Of course I don’t condone any violence against anyone. But who wouldn’t fight for their country?...The Palestinian violence is to protect what little remains of Palestine. The suicide bombers act out of despair and desperation...Remember, Menachem Begin invented terrorism as his MO—and bragged about it in his first book... 

PLAYBOY: Do you have a personal antipathy toward Jews themselves? 

THOMAS: No. I think they’re wonderful people. They had to have the most depth. They were leaders in civil rights. They’ve always had the heart for others but not for Arabs, for some reason. I’m not anti-Jewish; I’m anti-Zionist. I am anti Israel taking what doesn’t belong to it. ...who are these people? Why do they think they’re so deserving? The slaughter of Jews stopped with World War II...they carry on the victimization. American people do not know that the Israeli lobbyists have intimidated them into believing every Jew is a persecuted victim forever—while they are victimizing Palestinians.

PLAYBOY: Let’s get to something else you said more recently. In a speech in Detroit last December, you told an Arab group, “We are owned by the propagandists against the Arabs. There’s no question about that. Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street, are owned by the Zionists. No question, in my opinion. They put their money where their mouth is. We’re being pushed into a wrong direction in every way.” Do you stand by that statement? 

THOMAS: Yes, I do. I know it was horrendous, but I know it’s true. Tell me it’s not true and I’ll be happy to be contradicted. I’m just saying they’re using their power, and they have power in every direction. 

PLAYBOY: That stereotype of Jewish control has been around for more than a century. Do you actually think there’s a secret Jewish conspiracy at work in this country? 

THOMAS: Not a secret. It’s very open. What do you mean secret?...Everybody is in the pocket of the Israeli lobbies, which are funded by wealthy supporters, including those from Hollywood. Same thing with the financial markets. There’s total control. 

...Why do we have to keep paying the price and why do they keep oppressing the Palestinians? Do the Jews ever look at themselves? Why are they always right? Because they have been oppressed throughout history, I know. And they have this persecution. That’s true, but they shouldn’t use that to dominate...You know damn well the power they have. It isn’t the two percent. It’s real power when you own the White House, when you own these other places in terms of your political persuasion. Of course they have power. You don’t deny that. You’re Jewish, aren’t you? 

PLAYBOY: Yes.

THOMAS: That’s what I thought. Well, you know damn well they have power...I want to tell the truth. I want everyone to accept the truth. It’s horrible to say some of my best friends are Jews, but they are and they have been. 

PLAYBOY: Don’t take this the wrong way, but the question many people have is, Has Helen Thomas lost her mind? You’re 90, after all. Do you still have all your faculties? 

THOMAS: I resent that question! I thoroughly resent it. Why are you interviewing me if I’m crazy? It wouldn’t be worth it to you, would it?

PLAYBOY: It’s not an unreasonable question.

THOMAS: I resent it. You should apologize. 

PLAYBOY: But it’s the question everyone wants answered—and you’re the one who always tells journalists to ask the hard questions.

THOMAS: They want to know if I’m crazy? You have to be crazy to criticize Israel?...

Helen Thomas Mocks Gibbs Over White House's Lack Of Condemnation Of Israel's Act Of War

Helen Thomas wants apology from Obama, reasserts Zionists own White House, Congress

Nine months after anti-Semitic remarks forced her to resign from her post as a White House correspondent, Helen Thomas remains unrepentant, demanding an apology from President Barack Obama and defending her assertion that Zionists own the White House and Congress.

Speaking at the annual spring convention of College Media Advisers in New York City on Tuesday, Thomas said, "I want an apology from the president," Editor and Publisher reported Friday.

Obama criticized her comments in an interview during a Jewish Heritage Month celebration event at the White House last year when Thomas said Israelis should "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go back home to Poland, Germany, America and everywhere else."

Thomas, who was the oldest and longest-serving member of the White House press corps, resigned the following week.

The president later called Thomas' comments "offensive," saying, "She made the right decision [to resign]."

In an interview with Playboy magazine for their April edition, Thomas said she knew she had "hit the third rail" when she began speaking about Jews in the interview last June.

"I've had it up to here with the violations against the Palestinians," Thomas said. "Why shouldn't I say it? I knew exactly what I was doing -- I was going for broke. I had reached the point of no return. You finally get fed up."

The 90-year-old, who revealed former President Jimmy Carter called her to express sympathy following her resignation, also told Playboy she stood by a speech she made last year in which she said, "We are owned by the propagandists against the Arabs. There's no question about that. Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street, are owned by the Zionists."

"I want you to look at the Congress that just came in," Thomas told the magazine. "Do you think [New York Democratic senator Charles] Schumer and Lehtinen -- whatever her name is -- in Florida [Republican representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a strong supporter of Israel] are going to be pro-Arab? No. But they're going to be very influential. Eric Cantor, the majority leader of the Republicans, do you think he's going to be for the Arabs? Hell no! I'm telling you, you cannot get 330 votes in Congress for anything that's pro-Arab."

But Thomas became emotional when the reporter asked what she thought her obituary would say.

"Oh, I know what they're going to say: 'anti-Semite,'" said Thomas, beginning to cry. "I'm a reporter. I know damn well what they're going to say because they have their print, they have their ink. They don't give a damn about the truth. They have to have it their way, and they'll be writing my obituary."

Playboy's 90-year old playmate; Helen Thomas.

I sure hope that anyone buying April's Playboy Magazine isn't buying it just for the articles. That's because the April interview is with none other thanHelen Thomas.

"I knew exactly what I was doing – I was going for broke. I had reached the point of no return. You finally get fed up…I finally wanted to speak the truth," explains former dean of the White House Press Corps Helen Thomas when asked about her now infamous May 27, 2010 comments on Israel in Playboy's April Interview (issue on newsstands and online at www.playboydigital.com Friday, March 18). The outspoken journalist sparked controversy when a rabbi and blogger asked her for remarks on Israel and she responded "Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine," adding that the Jews "can go home" to "Poland, Germany and America and everywhere else." Shortly thereafter her comments went viral and Thomas abruptly resigned from her post at Hearst Newspapers on June 7, 2010.

The 90-year-old veteran reporter sat down with Playboy Contributing Editor David Hochman for her first in-depth interview following her contentious remarks. Not only did she share her thoughts on Israel and Palestine, she also discussed her sentiments towards Jews, her supposed retirement, President Obama, Congress's anti-Arab agenda and her obituary. Following are selected quotes from the interview:

On the aftermath of her May 27 remarks about Israel: "I went into self-imposed house arrest for two weeks…Every columnist and commentator jumped on me immediately as anti-Semitic. Nobody asked me to explain myself. Nobody said, 'What did you really mean?'"

On the situation in Palestine: "Everybody knows my feelings that the Palestinians have been shortchanged in every way. Sure, the Israelis have a right to exist – but where they were born, not to come and take someone else's home. I've had it up to here with the violations against the Palestinians…[The Palestinians] are incarcerated and living in an open prison. I say to the Israelis, 'Get out of people's homes!' It's unacceptable to have soldiers knocking on a door at three in the morning and saying, 'This is my home.' And forcing people out of homes they've lived in for centuries? What is this? How can anybody accept it? I mean, Jewish-only roads? [She later corrected herself to say Israeli-only roads.] Would anyone tolerate something like that in America? White-only roads?"

On Palestinian violence against the Israelis: "Of course I don't condone any violence against anyone. But who wouldn't fight for their country? What would any American do if their land was being taken? Remember Pearl Harbor. The Palestinian violence is to protect what little remains of Palestine. The suicide bombers act out of despair and desperation. Three generations of Palestinians have been forced out of their homes – by Israelis – and into refugee camps."
to
On American support of Israel: "We keep giving Israel everything. Our government bribes the Israelis by saying, 'Please come to the [negotiating] table and we'll give you this and we'll give you that'…Why do you have to bribe people to do the right thing? I don't want my government bribing anybody. I want them demanding. Stop all this aid to Israel when they're killing people!...Why do they send my American tax dollars to perpetuate it?"

Helen Thomas: Jews didn't have to leave Europe following Holocaust In CNN interview, veteran reporter refuses to call comments urging Jews to leave Israel and return to Europe insensitive, says Israel's treatment of the Palestinians is the real insensitivity.

The Jews did not have to leave Germany and Poland following the Holocaust since they were not being persecuted anymore, former White House correspondent Helen Thomas said in an interview on Thursday, adding that the Jews had no right to take other people's land.

Thomas, 90, stepped down from her job as a columnist for Hearst News Service in June of last year after a rabbi and independent filmmaker videotaped her outside the White House calling on Israelis to get "out of Palestine."

She gave up her front row seat in the White House press room, where she had aimed often pointed questions at 10 presidents, going back to Eisenhower.

Speaking of the controversial comments in an interview with CNN's Joy Behar on Thursday, Thomas said she did not regret her comments, saying that the Jews did not have to go anywhere after the Holocaust.

"There hasn't been persecution since that, since World War II. You don’t take other people's land," Thomas said in reference to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.

When Behar asked Thomas if she realized that her comment regarding sending the Jews back to Poland and Germany were insensitive in view of the past the Jews share with those countries, the former correspondent said: "I also said Russia."

"Well Russia, they had their share of anti-Semitic pogroms," the CNN interviewer said, to which Thomas answered: "They also had 25 million who died in World War II…. More than that."

"They didn't have to go anywhere really, because they weren’t being persecuted anymore but they were taking other people's land," Thomas said, adding of the perceived insensitivity of her comments by saying: "Count how many Palestinians are in jails now, taken from their homes, a million refugees, is that sensitive?"

Responding to Behar's question whether or not she considered herself to be anti-Semitic, Thomas said: "Hell no! I'm a Semite…of Arab background," and saying of the Jews: "They're not Semites. I mean, most of them are from Europe."

Thomas also referred to the widespread uproar which her comments caused, saying she "didn't realize it would ring that many bells, because they've [the Jews] been free ever since." 

When asked by Behar how would she revise her comments in view of the reactions they garnered, Thomas said: "Why do they have to go anywhere? They aren't being persecuted! They don't have the right to take other people's land. Under international law occupied land should not be annexed," Thomas said.

The former White House correspondent did, however, say she did not accurately gauge the backlash to her comments, saying that there was a change they got "me in trouble, but everything is distorted. But I don't care. "

"We have organized lobbyists in favor of Israel, you can't open your mouth. I can call the president of the United States anything in the book, but you say one thing about Israel and you're off limits," Thomas said.

"I have regrets that everyone misinterpreted it and distorted it, and you have the Ari Fleshcer and the Abe Foxman distorting everything, so I certainly knew that and I should of kept my mouth shut, probably."

The Myth of Jewish-Only Roads

Helen Thomas is at it again.

“I can call a president of the United States anything in the book,” she said at an anti-Arab-bias workshop in Detroit, “but I can’t touch Israel, which has Jewish-only roads in the West Bank. No American would tolerate that — white-only roads.”

She’s right that no American would tolerate white-only roads. Israelis, likewise, would never tolerate roads for Jews only. That’s why such roads don’t exist.

The roads she’s referring to in the West Bank are Israeli, and they’re not just for Jews. Israeli Arabs can drive on them, and so can non-Jewish foreigners, including Arab and Muslim foreigners. Palestinians were once able to drive on them but have not been allowed to do so since the second intifada, when suicide bombers used them to penetrate Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in order to massacre people.

There are also, by the way, Palestinian roads in the West Bank that Israelis can’t use.

I don’t know if Helen Thomas knows this and is lying or if she’s just an ignoramus. What I’ll bet she doesn’t know is that Arab residents of Jerusalem can use both the Israeli roads and the Palestinian roads. They’re the only people who live in the area who can do this. (Foreigners also are allowed to use both.)

This doesn’t remotely line up with her narrative of perfidious Zion. But it’s true.

Helen Thomas stands by remarks about Israelis

Dearborn — Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas said today she stands by controversial comments she made earlier this year about Israeli Jews, even though they led to the end of her decades-long career in journalism.
"I paid a price, but it's worth it to speak the truth," the 90-year-old Thomas told reporters shortly before a speech at a diversity conference. "The truth is always a casualty in disputes like that."
Thomas, who had covered the White House half a century, retired under pressure from Hearst News Service in June after video footage surfaced of her saying Israelis should "get the hell out of Palestine" and go to Germany, Poland or the United States.
Thomas, who grew up in Detroit, was a speaker today for the eighth annual "Images and Perceptions of Arab Americans" conference at the Byblos Banquet Center on Chase. Not only did she not back away from her remarks, she took them a step further, saying "Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are all owned by the Zionists."
During her brief speech, Thomas told about how she was jokingly referred to as "Hezbollah," "Hamas" and a "terrorist" by White House press officials. She said she didn't protest the comments because "I know who I am."
Thomas, who attended the events with her sister and nephew, said Arab-Americans still face discrimination despite contributing greatly to American society. Thomas was given a standing ovation by the crowd of 200 people at the event.
"Arabs …. who gave so much to this country are much maligned," Thomas said, adding that Arab-Americans should take a lesson from African-Americans' civil rights movement.
"We have to speak up for our rights even at a cost," Thomas said.
Rhonda Ajluni, of Northville, said she enjoyed hearing Thomas speak but feels badly that she lost her job over the controversy.
"Helen Thomas has always been my hero," said Ajluni. "We feel so bad she's been kicked out job she loved at her old age."
Thomas will attend a private ceremony this afternoon at the Arab American National Museum, where a sculpture of her will be unveiled.

Helen Thomas: 'You Cannot Criticize Israel In This Country and Survive'

Marion, OH - In a radio interview, former White House correspondent Helen Thomas acknowledges she touched a nerve with remarks about Israel that led to her retirement. But she says the comments were "exactly what I thought," even though she realized soon afterward that it was the end of her job.