Turner withdraws criticism of Israel as "terrorist"
Wednesday June 19, 8:24 AM
CNN founder Ted Turner, under pressure from Jewish groups and supporters, withdrew his earlier assessment that Israel and Palestinians were both "involved in terrorism."
"I believe the Israeli government has used excessive force to defend itself, but that is not the same as intentionally targeting and killing civilians with suicide bombers," Turner said in a statement issued by CNN. He serves as vice chairman of CNN's parent company, AOL Time Warner.
Earlier, London's The Guardian newspaper published the April 16 interview in which Turner made the comments, along with a warning of possible repercussions for CNN.
"His remarks are obscene and over-the-line," said director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, Marvin Hier.
In an open letter to the media mogul, the Anti-Defamation League said it was "tragically ironic" that Turner's statements came the same day a suicide bomber killed 19 Israelis, "many of them young students on their way to school," in southern Jerusalem.
CNN has frequently been accused of bias by Israelis, although some Palestinians have also decried it as the "Zionist News Network."
CNN earlier issued a statement saying Turner spoke for himself during the interview.
"Aren't the Israelis and the Palestinians both terrorizing each other?" Turner, 63, was quoted as saying.
Turner also drew fire from Republican US lawmaker Tom DeLay, a senior member of the House of Representatives.
"Turner's thoughts on the Middle East are the rant of a man with a defective moral compass," DeLay said.
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