Not content to have blown a single incident up out of all proportion, the New York Times is now acting as a press agency for the United Nations. In Report Criticizes Gaza Restrictions, Ethan Bronner reported:
A United Nations report issued on Thursday says the Sweleims are part of 12 percent of the population of Gaza — 178,000 people out of 1.5 million — who have lost livelihoods or have otherwise been severely affected by Israeli security policies along the border, both land and sea, in recent years. These include the establishment of no-go zones and frequent incursions and attacks.
The report estimates that the restricted land comprises 17 percent of Gaza’s total land mass and 35 percent of its agricultural land. Israel also restricts Gazan fishing to three nautical miles. Catches are greatly reduced, leading some fishermen to take a long, risky sail into Egyptian waters to buy the fish from Egyptian fishermen and return home to sell it.
Aside from the dubious claim about agricultural land, that makes it sound like Israel is arbitrarily instituting policies designed to make life for the Palestinians uncomfortable. But then we get to the next paragraph:
The study, issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, says that anti-Israeli militants operate from the border areas in question, planting explosive devices, firing at Israeli military vehicles across the border fence and shooting rockets and mortars at civilians.
So wait a second, the Israeli incursions are in response to “militants operat[ing] from the border areas! That would mean that rather than being arbitrary, Israel’s military activities have been in response to terror attacks. But instead of acknowledging that, the UN and the uncritical report in the Times make it sound that Israel’s goal is to disrupt the lives of Gazans rather than protect its own citizens. In a sense this isn’t much different from the Goldstone report that insisted on impossible rules of engagement and then condemned Israel for disobeying them.
I actually took a look at the report (via BBC) and it has an interesting claim:
Over the past ten years, the Israeli military has gradually expanded restrictions on access to farmland on the Gaza side of the 1949 ‘Green Line’, and to fishing areas along the Gaza Strip coast, with the stated intention of preventing attacks on Israel by Palestinian armed factions, including firing projectiles.
Ten years? Israel has been defending against Qassams for nearly ten years. I’m guessing though, that Israel didn’t start the policy of restricting access near the border areas until after “disengagement” five years ago. In other words, I’m reasonably certain that the UN just pulled a number out of hat. As it did regarding agricultural lands.
The New York Times and the BBC (and no doubt other media outlets) don’t see their job as investigating the veracity of UN charges against Israel, but rather to act as megaphones.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad
