In an article about the palestinians controlling the Rafah border for the first time ever (they never controlled it when it was Egyptian, either), the AP buries this biased account of the death of three “militants:”
Earlier Friday, Israeli forces killed three Palestinian gunmen in a West Bank raid.
Israeli forces went into the village of Ilar near Tulkarem after midnight, and surrounded a building to arrest senior Islamic Jihad militants holed up inside, the military said. Three gunmen fled in two separate directions, and were shot dead after opening fire on Israeli troops who pursued them, the military said.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Israeli incursion into Tulkarem, and the assassination of three Palestinians,” Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
Despite a cease-fire declared in February that has drastically reduced violence after five years of conflict, Israel continues to target Islamic Jihad cells. Shortly after the truce was declared, Islamic Jihad carried out a suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv that killed five Israelis.
All the elements are there: The use of the nameless, faceless “Israeli military” as a spokesman for the Israeli side, a named spokesman for the pals. The words “incusion” and “killed” used to illustrate Israeli actions, “gunmen” and “militants” for terrorists. Look at the order in which the “gunmen” were shot dead:
Three gunmen fled in two separate directions, and were shot dead after opening fire on Israeli troops who pursued them, the military said.
First they fled, then they were killed–after opening fire on Israelis. Why not write something like:
Three gunmen fled in two separate directions, fired on Israeli troops who pursued them, and were shot dead, the Israeli spokesman said.
Well, we know why not. Because it would be the truth. Because it would be less damaging to Israel. Because the AP wouldn’t be the AP if it didn’t slam Israel at every opportunity.
And about those “militants”–Ynet says they were planning rocket attacks. On the West Bank.
And notice that after the “truce” that “reduced violence” Islamic Jihad murdered five Israelis. Some truce. If Islamic Jihad isn’t observing it why should Israel not pursue IJ’s murderers? Because of Israeli Double Standard Time, of course.
Note to Mr. Erekat, if you don’t want Israel pursuing terrorists, put down the terrorists yourselves. A state that allows acts of war against a neighboring state to originate from its terrirtory is presumed to want them to occur, which means it is making war on that neighboring state. Such a de facto state of war gives the victim of your aggression the right to prosecute warlike measures against you. That is real international law, not the fantasies dreamed up by EUnuch law professors and UN bureaucrats. The Palestinian Authority must get off its ass and eliminate the terrorists, or admit you are making war on Israel and suffer the consequences.
hey just a quick note – if you take a look at this story on ynet, about the israeli attacks which killed 4 hamas terrorists in gaza, and watch the video, you can listen to how reuters discusses the whole affair, and states that the rockets this morning were in retaliation for the deaths at the hamas march yesterday – it never mentions that 1. israel had nothing to do with it, 2, israel says it had nothing to do with it, and 3, the PLO agrees israel had nothing to do with it! so we are obviously to believe that what hamas tells reuters is the gospel truth! annoyance…