Isabel Kershner and her Israeli propaganda

Of course, NYT's Isabel Kershner is incapable of writing anything but crude and vulgar Israeli propaganda. That is her thing. But does she not top herself here: "Instead, Mr. Peres, 85, the last of Israel’s founding fathers in office, seems to have been reborn. Though he was often mocked here in the past as a serial election loser and has commanded less respect for his dovish political views at home than abroad, Mr. Peres is basking in more power and public acceptance than ever before. Youthful looking and elegantly attired, he says he now enjoys “unprecedented popularity, which is almost embarrassing for me — I’m not used to it.” He adds that he has discovered a new force, the “tremendous good will of the people,” which he says can be “more powerful than government.”His eminence has been bolstered by the advent of a predominantly conservative government in Israel and an innate sense among Israelis that such governments, though democratically elected, are harmful to the country’s image — a feeling reinforced by the appointment of Avigdor Lieberman, a blunt and outspoken nationalist, as minister of foreign affairs. Now Mr. Peres, drawing on his considerable influence as an elder statesman and his seemingly boundless energy, is translating the novelty of public acceptance into practical clout. “In almost two years as president,” he said in an interview at his official residence earlier this month, “I did not hear the word ‘no.’ ”