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It is now becoming clear that, despite the claims of the Palestinians and the
international media's rush to blame Israel, the
deaths of seven Palestinian civilians on a beach in Gaza on 9 June were not
caused by the IDF. Investigations by the IDF and others over the past few days
have revealed new evidence that a Hamas mine was most likely the cause of
the beach blast:
1) Shrapnel removed from two of the wounded Palestinians
evacuated to Israeli hospitals was not from Israeli-made ordnance.
2) No large crater was evident on the beach as would be expected from the
impact of an artillery shell landing from above. The blast site would suggest
the likelihood of a mine exploding from below the sand rather than above.
3) The IDF fired six shells towards the Gaza area, one
of which remained unaccounted for. All of the shells were fired, however, more
than 10 minutes before the blast that killed the Palestinians.
It is now increasingly likely, that in true "Pallywood"
fashion, as seen in the
Mohammed Al-Dura case and the
Jenin "massacre" libel, the Palestinians have attempted another cover-up in
order to smear Israel:
1) Palestinian Television broadcast doctored
scenes showing file footage of Israeli naval vessels shelling Gaza,
interspersed with
video of the beach victims, despite the fact that the Israeli Navy was not
responsible for any shelling at the time. Click
here to see the
footage courtesy of Palestinian Media Watch.
2) Suspicions were initially raised by the Palestinian
refusal to
cooperate with Israeli investigators and the remarkably swift cleansing of
evidence from the blast scene by Hamas gunmen who arrived shortly after the
incident. Palestinian spokespeople usually display parts of Israeli shells to
the international media - but not this time.
3) Israeli intelligence suggests that Hamas had mined the beach area in order
to prevent Israeli naval commandos from landing there as part of
anti-terror operations to prevent Qassam missile launches.
THE MEDIA'S PREMATURE RESPONSE
Even though there was no evidence as to who was responsible, other than
Palestinian claims of Israeli
culpability for a "massacre," the international media immediately
bought into the Palestinian storyline. This, despite the continuing barrage of
Qassam missiles, some of which had fallen on Gaza, and the "work accidents"
caused by Palestinian explosives detonating prematurely, which should have made
journalists think twice. Here are some examples of those who did not:
The
Guardian's
headline: Death on the beach: seven Palestinians killed as Israeli shells hit
family picnic
Excerpt: A barrage of Israeli artillery shells rained down on a busy
Gaza beach yesterday, killing seven Palestinians, three of them children.
Contact:
letters@guardian.co.uk
The
Independent's headline: Palestinians killed on Gaza beach by Israeli
gunboats
Excerpt: Israeli naval gunboats killed at least seven Palestinian
civilians and wounded about 40 others as they relaxed in the summer heat on a
beach in northern Gaza yesterday.
Contact:
letters@independent.co.uk
The Times' headline: Girl who saw family die on beach becomes
icon and media celebrity
Excerpt: In the days since a wild-haired Huda Ghalia was filmed howling with
anguish amid a family picnic blown apart by shellfire, she has become an instant
symbol of suffering across the Arab world.
Contact:
letters@thetimes.co.uk
CONSEQUENCES FOR ISRAELI DIPLOMACY
Aside from the very real damage caused to Israel's public image, the images and headlines transmitted around the world also demonstrated
the sometimes insidious influence of the media on Israel's diplomatic standing.
Coming at the same time as Israeli PM Ehud Olmert's visit to the UK, it was
therefore damaging that the British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett
launched a
scathing attack on Israel following the incident, which the British press
interpreted as casting a shadow over the trip. In addition, the French also
rushed to
issue condemnation of Israel, deploring "Israel's
bombardments on a beach in the Gaza Strip, whose disproportionate character has
cost the lives of several civilians and injured many others."
HonestReporting UK is aware of the political and diplomatic damage that biased
or inaccurate reporting causes for Israel within international governmental
circles. Contact details for your elected representatives can be found on HonestReporting
UK's website along
with those of many national and international media outlets.
While the media may choose not to believe the results of the IDF inquiry, it
has a duty to report on the developing story and the new evidence that has
emerged. HonestReporting UK calls on its subscribers to hold the media to account
for its initial premature judgements and to also ensure that the real story is
published.
QASSAM BLITZKRIEG ON ISRAEL
Palestinian
terrorists continue to launch Qassam missiles from Gaza, subjecting Israel to an
intolerable blitzkrieg of over 100 missiles launched since the weekend, wounding
at least two Israelis in Sderot and causing damage to a number of buildings in
Sderot and the western Negev. No country, including Israel can be expected not
to take action under these circumstances.
While attempting to escalate the situation further, Islamic Jihad terrorists
were prevented from launching even more deadly Katyusha missiles by an
Israeli air strike on Tuesday. Unfortunately, due to Palestinian terrorists
operating from within densely populated areas, a number of civilians also died when the terrorists' vehicle was hit by an
Israeli missile. Due to the continuous barrage of Palestinian missiles, Israel
has been left with little choice but to take action to defend its citizens.
As seen by this and recent events, Palestinian terrorists show scant
regard for the lives of their own people as well as Israelis, continuing to
cause suffering in the region.
HonestReporting. com
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