The Simon Wiesenthal Center says the Lebanese government is blocking newspapers from running one of its advertisements.
According to the Los Angeles-based Jewish organization, the Lebanese government has apparently blocked the Beirut-based Daily Star from running the ad, which calls for the United Nations General Assembly to convene a special session on suicide terror.
Several other Arab newspapers did not respond requests to run the ad, which was timed to coincide with President Bush’s to Israel. It did appear in the New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Ha’aretz and Jerusalem Post.
“We are deeply disappointed that these important newspapers would block our solidarity campaign to put suicide bombing on top of the international community’s agenda, particularly when the ad highlights the tragic murder of a prominent Muslim woman,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center. “Such censorship certainly calls into question the Arab World’s claim that it is a strategic partner in the fight against terror.”
The ad featured a photo of the late slain Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, along with the headline: “What More Will it Take for the World to Act.”
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