Just in case one tended to think that Helen Thomas’ anti-Semitic rant last June was just a momentary lapse or comment taken out of context, her latest public appearance puts the case for her bigotry beyond doubt.  The Detroit Free Press reports on Thomas’  remarks at a workshop that focused, ironically, on anti-Arab bias.  She told the group that “Zionists” control US foreign policy and “other institutions,” and that they own Hollywood, Wall Street, Congress, and the White House (via The Blog Prof):

In a speech to about 300 people inside a center in Dearborn, she talked about “the whole question of money involved in politics.”

“Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by the Zionists. No question, in my opinion,” she said. “They put their money where their mouth is. … We’re being pushed into a wrong direction in every way.” …

In an interview, Thomas, 90, said that criticizing Israel led to her resignation and ostracism in Washington.

“I can call a president of the United States anything in the book, but I can’t touch Israel, which has Jewish-only roads in the West Bank,” Thomas said. “No American would tolerate that — white-only roads.”

That last part would be true … if there were any such thing as “Jewish-only roads” in the West Bank.  There are Israeli-only roads, but anyone with an Israeli license plate can use them — including Israeli Arabs, who are a significant minority in Israel.  They can also vote, and a handful hold office in the Knesset.  How many Jews hold office in Lebanon?  Syria?  Saudi Arabia?  Egypt?  Yemen?  For that matter, even in non-Arab Iran?

As far as her other comments go, they’re typical of anti-Semites who cast Jews as villains in worldwide conspiracies.  No one ever got canned for criticizing Israel, which is hardly immune from criticism as it is; plenty of people openly question our allegiance to the Israelis without going into Protocols of the Elders of Zion territory.  Thomas had to resign because she got inept at hiding her bigotry, and now apparently feels much more comfortable letting it show.

Update: Jeff Dunetz had this story first, and notes that it negates part of the media spin back from June:

There are some people who believe that any criticism of Israel is Antisemitism. That belief is as ignorant as Antisemitism itself. There is however, a great deal of crossover between hatred of Israel and hatred of the Jews. To find out what people really mean you need to examine the words they use. Make no mistake about it, Thomas uttered the word “Zionists” but her words showed that she meant the word “Jews.”  What Thomas said yesterday, that Congress, the White House, Hollywood and Wall Street are owned by Zionists, was a repetition of the anti-Semitic stereotypes that have been used for centuries to incite hatred of Jews. Ms. Thomas is nothing but a bigoted hater and that was the reason she was fired, not because she hates Israel (most of the progressive media is anti-Israel). Thomas was canned because she is a low-life hater, an anti-Semite and her speech yesterday adds more to her long record of hatred.