Pro-Israel advertisement blocks sales of Lebanese edition of International daily

Al Bawaba, the Middle East Gateway ^ | June 14 2002

[knighthawk]

The Lebanese distributor of the International Herald Tribune (IHT) decided not to sell Thursday's edition of the Paris-based daily because of what it termed was a pro-Israeli advertisement in the newspaper.

A front-page note in the Daily Star, Lebanon's only English-language daily distributing the IHT since last July, said the decision was "due to possible legal action by the Lebanese government because of advertising content in the IHT."

The full-page advertisement titled "Short Memory" and placed by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) listed around 200 recent instances of anti-Semitism throughout the world, editor Hanna Anbar told The Associated Press.

The IHT has been appearing in Lebanon inserted into the Daily Star.

According to Lebanese law, a foreign publication distributing in the country cannot publish items deemed propaganda for Israel. Lebanon and Israel are technically at war. Cases relating to publications are covered by a special Publications Law and dealt with by a special court.

In a similar case on April 5, a Lebanese judge filed charges against the Daily Star editor in chief, Jamil Mroe, when the IHT published a pro-Israeli advertisement paid for by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

The charges were dropped on May 9, with Judge Abdelrahim Hammoud stating Mroue could not be legally held responsible for the advertisement.

He said, however, that the writer and publisher of the advertisement were responsible and kept the case open. No decision has been made on further action.

Anbar said such incidents were not expected to affect the joint distribution agreement between the two newspapers. In fact, he said, the IHT informed the Daily Star in advance of its latest edition.

Meanwhile, in the French capital, IHT executive editor David Ignatius said the Daily Star's decision does not affect the distribution agreement.

"We would like to serve our readers in Lebanon every day that we publish," Ignatius said in a telephone interview.

[knighthawk]

Lebanon to sue newspaper over pro-Israeli advertisement

[knighthawk]

Ping

[Mo1]

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[Aleksandar Vojvoda]

The International Herald Tribune draws on the most powerful and discerning international news gathering network of any newspaper in the world. It combines the extensive resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and The Washington Post. Its experienced editors decipher critical early warning signals from sources around the world to give readers a balanced, practical assessment of emerging trends.

Do you support the IHT when the story suits your needs?Most of the other posters here scream from the top of their lungs about how anti-Israeli biased the Washington Post is.Or maybe you aren't one of the Washingtom Post haters?

[knighthawk]

I never really look much at the WP. I placed some IHT articles on the FR that were pro-Israel. But they also got anti-Israel stuff. I think IHT is balanced. About the WP I can't really tell.