Jeffrey Goldberg

Jeffrey Goldberg is an American-Israeli journalist and Zionist political pundit that writes for David G. Bradley's The Atlantic. Referred to as Netanyahu's "faithful stenographer" by Roger Cohen of The New York Times, Goldberg's material is focused on matters related to Israel and its relationship with the US. He was influential in building American support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and has been criticized for making alarmist claims and using unreliable sources during the run-up to the war. Goldberg is also known for launching attacks on those who criticize Israeli policy while constantly pushing the claim that Israel is a strategic asset rather than a liability for the US. He has publicly attacked fellow staff members at The Atlantic (as well as the editors for their lack of "editorial standards") for allegedly making comments that are critical of Israel even though the publication itself and its writers are known to propagate a pro-Israel line.

Early History

Goldberg was born and raised in New York but his self-stated strong identification with Israel saw him joining a Zionist summer camp and Kibbutz during his youth. He relocated to Israel during his college years and joined the Israeli Defense Forces shortly after. His acclaimed book, Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror, is a memoir which includes an account of his experience as a guard at Ketziot, an Israeli prison located in the Negev desert which detained thousands of Palestinians during the first intifada. Still in operation today, Ketziot is known for its harsh living conditions and for detaining children and men without trial.

During his residency in Israel, Goldberg served as a journalist for the right-wing Jerusalem Post. While working as Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, Goldberg produced an 17,000+ word article entitled, "The Great Terror," which George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and others referenced as justification for the US invasion of Iraq. In it Goldberg described Saddam Hussein's gassing of the Kurds in long and vivid detail and strongly suggested that Hussein posed the same threat to the US and other nations. Goldberg also suggested that the Iraqi regime had ties with Al Qaeda.

"The Great Terror"

Goldberg is best known for a series of articles he wrote during the run-up to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq which were used as reference by pro-war advocates. A 17,000+ word article in The New Yorker entitled "The Great Terror" was referenced by members of the Bush administration and has since been debunked by several analysts for its use of questionable sources (one of which was proven to be fabricated) and deeply alarmist claims.

On the alleged link between Iraq & Al Qaeda

"The allegations include charges that Ansar al-Islam has received funds directly from Al Qaeda; that the intelligence service of Saddam Hussein has joint control, with Al Qaeda operatives, over Ansar al-Islam; that Saddam Hussein hosted a senior leader of Al Qaeda in Baghdad in 1992; that a number of Al Qaeda members fleeing Afghanistan have been secretly brought into territory controlled by Ansar al-Islam; and that Iraqi intelligence agents smuggled conventional weapons, and possibly even chemical and biological weapons, into Afghanistan. If these charges are true, it would mean that the relationship between Saddam’s regime and Al Qaeda is far closer than previously thought."

On Iraq's alleged WMDs

There is some debate among arms-control experts about exactly when Saddam will have nuclear capabilities. But there is no disagreement that Iraq, if unchecked, will have them soon, and a nuclear-armed Iraq would alter forever the balance of power in the Middle East. “The first thing that occurs to any military planner is force protection,” Charles Duelfer told me. “If your assessment of the threat is chemical or biological, you can get individual protective equipment and warning systems. If you think he’s going to use a nuclear weapon, where are you going to concentrate your forces?”

There is little doubt what Saddam might do with an atomic bomb or with his stocks of biological and chemical weapons. When I talked about Saddam’s past with the medical geneticist Christine Gosden, she said, “Please understand, the Kurds were for practice.”"

Criticisms

Prominent Jewish-American journalist and blogger Philip Weiss has pointed out that Goldberg has refuted the Jewish identity of anti-Zionist Jews:

"Jeffrey Goldberg goes after the bloggers panel during the J Street conference and describes it as a group of "anti-Zionists with Jewish parents." Think about that. This is a statement of excommunication. He’s not saying anti-Zionist Jews. He’s saying we had Jewish parents. He’s not even calling us non-Jewish Jews, an insult that hurled by an old Israeli recently. This time we don’t get to be Jews. Thus he equates Jewishness with Zionism, entirely."

Resources

• Alexander Cockburn, Hacks and Heroes: Meet the New Yorker's Goldberg, Counterpunch, 28 February 2003
• Jeffrey Goldberg: Pundit for Israel, If Americans Knew