The Anti-Defamation League has apologized to the producer of the weekly CBS television news program “60 Minutes” for earlier criticizing a segment aired last year on the October 1990 Temple Mount riots in Jerusalem.
CBS came under fire from various prominent Jewish groups and individuals for its handling of the story, reported by “60 Minutes” senior correspondent Mike Wallace.
Following the broadcast last Dec. 2, ADL National Director Abraham Foxman accused the show of engaging in “unprofessional techniques, which demonstrated bias and a prejudicial attitude” toward the way Israel handled the riots.
The Oct. 8 incident seriously hurt Israel’s image, as observers worldwide questioned the use of force by Israeli police who fired live ammunition at rock-throwing Arabs on the Temple Mount, killing 17 and wounding scores of others.
Some American Jewish organizations defended Israel’s conduct at the time.
But last month, an Israeli inquiry commission issued a report that was highly critical of police. While finding insufficient evidence to recommend legal action against any police personnel, the commissioners nonetheless sharply criticized police conduct, specifically that of some senior officers.
On July 22, four days after the report’s release, Foxman wrote to Don Hewitt, executive producer of “60 Minutes,” acknowledging that investigative Judge Ezra Kama has rejected “some of the claims the Israeli officials made and came closer to some of the conclusions reached by ’60 Minutes.'”
On that basis, Foxman wrote, “While I still have some problems with the methodology ’60 Minutes’ used, I want to publicly apologize to you, Mike (Wallace), and the staff of ’60 Minutes.’ I hope we can put this long and difficult situation behind us.”
Foxman was out of town Wednesday and could not be reached to elaborate on the contents of the letter. When asked about the problems in methodology noted in the letter, an ADL spokeswoman said there would be no further comment.
Wallace responded to the apology by saying: “I’ve known Abraham Foxman for a long time, so I was not surprised to receive his gracious letter of apology once our report had, in effect, been confirmed by the Israeli judge, Ezra Kama.”
Hewitt did not respond to requests for comment.
However, earlier this year in an op-ed piece written for The New York Jewish Week and reprinted by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Hewitt deemed the barrage of criticism “scurrilous invective.”
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