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Monday, June 7th, 2010 -- 10:56 am
Original AFP story follows:
White House correspondent apologizes for Israel remarks
WASHINGTON — Veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas has apologized for remarks she made about Israel which led to her being dropped as the graduation speaker at a local high school.
Thomas, 89, the longest-serving reporter in the White House press corps, was asked by the website RabbiLive.com during a May 27 "Jewish Heritage Celebration" at the White House whether she had any "comments on Israel."
"Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine," said Thomas, who served for decades as the White House correspondent for United Press International (UPI) and now writes a column for Hearst newspapers.
"Remember these people are occupied and it's their land, not German and not Poland," Thomas said. "They can go home, Poland, Germany, and America and everywhere else."
Thomas issued an apology on her website, HelenThomas.org.
"I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians," she said.
"They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon," Thomas said.
Thomas had been scheduled to deliver a June 14 commencement address at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, outside Washington, but the school said Sunday it had cancelled her appearance.
The remainder of the article can be found at:
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0607/white-house-correspondent-apologizes-israel-remarks/
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