PM shuns New York Times op-ed offer

A senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has refused an offer to write an opinion piece for the New York Times, accusing the paper's opinion pages of anti-Israel bias.

In a letter to the Times, Netanyahu adviser Ron Dermer said the prime minister decided to "respectfully decline" penning an opinion piece. He says past op-ed articles in the Times have "vilified" Israel and "constantly distort the positions of our government." The letter was confirmed as authentic by an official in the Prime Minister's Office. (AP)