AP anti-Israel bias gets worse

The AP editors spin the attack on Israel as—wait for it—retaliatory strikes by Israel. Watch as the editors change the story’s angle in as little as two hours. First version:

Apr 9, 11:03 AM (ET)
By YANIV ZOHAR
Palestinian Attack Kills 2 Israelis
NAHAL OZ, Israel (AP) – Palestinian militants burst into southern Israel and killed two Israeli fuel terminal workers Wednesday in a surprise attack that threatened to set off wider fighting.

Israel rushed forces and tanks across the border into the northern Gaza Strip after the raid. Palestinian officials said four people were killed in tank shelling and an Israeli airstrike on a car carrying militants near Gaza City.

The later version:

Apr 9, 12:55 PM (ET)
By YANIV ZOHAR
Palestinian Attack Kills 2 Israelis
NAHAL OZ, Israel (AP) – Palestinian militants burst into southern Israel and killed two Israeli fuel terminal workers Wednesday in a surprise attack that sparked Israeli shelling and airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian officials and militant groups said six people were killed in the reprisals by Israel, which rushed troops and tanks across the border into northern Gaza after the attack.

I’m astonished that the AP actually identified the Israelis as civilians later in the stories. And that they attribute the attack to Palestinians. And that they don’t use the words “Israelis die in Palestinian attacks,” as they usually make the death of Israelis from terrorist acts passive, while any Palestinian deaths use the active voice.

But note how it’s being played: “Reprisals”—as if there’s something wrong with an army responding to an attack on her land and her people. But then, that’s the narrative. Any attack on Israel causes a counter-attack, a reprisal, or a retaliation—not an act of defense by a sovereign nation, defending itself from armed terrorists. And if you’d like to find out why the AP does what it does, take a look at this insider’s view of decision-making on a mainstream newspaper. It speaks volumes.