Helen Thomas again

Helen Thomas Stands by Her Previous Israel Criticisms, Makes New Ones
3 days ago

Six months after the uproar that led to her forced retirement, Helen Thomas once again courted controversy, standing by her earlier comments on Israel and going further to claim that Zionists control U.S. policy, the Detroit Free Press reported Friday.

Thomas, a member of the White House press corps for 50 years, doubled down on her criticisms of Israel during a speech Thursday in Dearborn, Mich., on the topic of money in politics.

"Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by the Zionists. No question, in my opinion," Thomas, 90, told an audience of about 300 during a workshop on anti-Arab bias. "They put their money where their mouth is . . . We're being pushed into a wrong direction in every way."

In June, Hearst Newspapers announced Thomas, an Arab-American, would be retiring immediately after she told an interviewer on camera that Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go home" to Germany, Poland or the U.S.

As they did last summer, Jewish groups once again condemned her remarks.

"Ms. Thomas repeated the anti-Semitic stereotypes that have been used for more than a century to incite hatred of Jews. Her comments should be condemned by all people who oppose bigotry," Robert Cohen, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit, told the Free Press Friday.