Talk:Jo Benkow

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[edit] Benkow and Willoch

Benkow has never criticized Willoch for his "support" of the Palestinians, or even in Willoch's favoring the Palestinians' cause over that of the Israelis. The criticism has been against Willoch's harsh rhetoric against Israel. The relevant article can be found here: [1] and is made entirely within the context of Willoch's attitude toward Israel and not the Palestinians. Benkow would take huge offense if his position were represented otherwise. --Leifern 02:36, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

I feel uncomfortable with the phrase, "Willoch's hostility toward the State of Israel", which I believe is too strong and unfounded, and I think Willoch would take offense of it. Therefore I replaced "hostility" with "criticism" and also mentioned the Palestinians, who are part of the criticism. If the above newspaper article is the basis of your edit and your revert, I think you are exaggerating. The newspaper article clearly quotes Willoch criticising Israel for its politics towards the Palestinians. (I could translate it but it's rather lengthy.) What Benkow says, translated from the newspaper, is: "−I know what that man thinks about the Middle East. He is the most biased person taking part in the public debate in this country." On the journalists question, "−What are you referring to?" Benkow replies, "−I would rather not say anything about this. He is a former leader of the Conservative Party. So am I, and I don't want to have any dispute going on with him." I think there's a long way from that statement to the Wikipedia article stating, "... he criticized former prime minister (and party colleague) Kåre Willoch, calling him "the most biased person in the country," on account of Willoch's hostility toward the State of Israel". I suggest we replace "hostility" with "criticism" and also mention the Palestinians. --Eddi (Talk) 04:11, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

Willoch is a man who used the commemoration of Kristallnacht to rant against Israel. Hostile is not exaggeration. My vote is to omit the quote altogether; Benkow has obviously been cautious about weighing in against Willoch, and this is the only time he has done so. --Leifern 16:26, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

"Hostility" may or may not be an exaggeration, but it is not neutral, and it is very difficult to document. "Criticism" is neutral, documentable, and conveys the message with adequate precision. I changed it back to criticism but left out the Palestinians. However, you may be right that the whole thing could be omitted. --Eddi (Talk) 19:17, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

"Rant"? Is that documented and WP:CITEable? Or did he choose a particular time to criticise Israel's policy toward palestinians in the context of Norway's foreign policy and relationships? Midgley 15:07, 3 April 2006 (UTC)