Someone pinch me, please.

Here's a current headline from the website of German newsmagazine Der Spiegel:


"Sharon Era comes to an end - peace process in danger"
[Note: Has anyone ever noticed that the Arab-Israeli war is the only war in the world that is called a peace process?]

Wow. Before today, headlines like these were business as usual in Der Spiegel (example: Spiegel 6/2001):


"Yassir Arafat is fearing a 'real catastrophe' if right-wing hardliner Ariel Sharon wins the elections against Ehud Barak - and Israel is threatened by a relapse into international isolation."

And here are just a few of the attributes Der Spiegel used for Ariel Sharon in its coverage of Intifada and "Al Aqsa Intifada":

“Superhawk,” “butcher,” “nationalist demagogue who built his career on the fears, xenophobia and prejudices of the masses,” and “Arik, the horrible.”

Am already anxiously waiting for the first Sharon-friendly headline from Der Stern...