The Berkeley Daily Planet
June 4, 2009
By Richard Brenneman
A small group of East Bay residents are waging a campaign against the Berkeley Daily Planet for publishing what they call anti-Semitic criticisms of Israel’s policies and actions. The Planet itself has not assumed an editorial stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but occasionally runs letters and commentaries from Berkeley residents, most of which are critical of Israel. In an investigatory report on the activities of the critics published June 4, the Planet found that they have among other actions urged advertisers to withdraw their ads or face a boycott from Jewish residents. One elderly reader who wrote a commentary for the Planet critical of Israel received a threatening message at home. One of the critics, John Gertz, says his goal is to get the Planet to reform or to drive them from business. -DB