Breathtaking anti-Israel spin in the Telegraph

If you were to read this story, and only this story, about the weekend military actions by the IDF, you’d swear that Israel murdered 15 palestinians in “revenge” for their sending crude, homemade rockets that almost never killed anyone (the subtext being that they really didn’t mean to hurt anyone, honest!).

15 killed as Israel takes revenge for rockets fired from Gaza

At least 15 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli attacks over the weekend aimed at stopping Gaza-based militants firing rockets into Israel.

The bloodshed was the worst in Gaza since Israel withdrew its settlers and soldiers last summer, raising the prospect of a return to the worst tit-for-tat killings of the four-year intifada.

But while the military wing of Hamas called for retaliation, political leaders of the Islamic group were more statesmanlike.

Ghazi Hamad, the chief spokesman for the Hamas government now administering the Occupied Territories, called on the United Nations to pressure Israel into stopping its military offensive.

Notice the spin of that last paragraph. Unbelievable. Hamas is a terrorist organization that wants to destroy Israel, and the Telegraph is calling it “statesmanlike” because it knows how to mouth propaganda.

Also notice the lie of “tit-for-tat killings.” Here’s how the “tit-for-tat” cycle works. The palestinians murder Israeli civilians. The IDF goes looking for the murderers, frequently arresting or killing other murderers while doing so, mostly because those other murderers are shooting at the IDF. Or the IAF knocks a Hellfire missile into a car full of terrorists on their way to or from a “training camp,” a rocket attack, or a terrorist mission.

When the U.S. and Britain do this, it is self-defense. When Israel does it, it is “tit-for-tat killings.”

The first inkling that Israel’s iron-fist response to the Gaza rocket attacks was having any impact emerged yesterday when a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad Party (IJP) – one of the principal militant groups responsible for firing Qassam rockets into Israel – said a week-long ceasefire would hold only if Israel stopped launching its attacks.

There seemed little likelihood of that with Mr Olmert issuing a tough statement yesterday about the rocket attack problem.

He said he had placed “no curb” on his armed forces in their hunt to destroy the Qassam rockets and those launching them.

Yes, it’s an “iron-fist response” when you try to stop people from murdering your people, but wait a bit longer to see how much of a threat this reporter considers the kassam rockets.

Checkpoints, walls and barriers have reduced the number of suicide attacks committed by Palestinian militants, so the Qassam has become their favoured weapon.

Made from a piece of metal tubing, with four fins welded crudely on the end, it can be knocked up in a matter of minutes by smiths in Gaza.

It has a range of just five miles and has no means of steering but the amount of explosive it carries makes it a potentially deadly weapon. The rate of Qassams being fired from Gaza has increased markedly since the withdrawal.

Yes, it’s a “potentially deadly” weapon. Here’s a news flash: Kassam rockets have killed Israelis — and palestinians.

In the face of these attacks, Israel has ramped up its response.

Yes. And imagine if Ireland started lobbing shells at Britain on a daily basis. Think the Brits would simply wait and see if they’d stop?

Yeah, me neither.

You know what bothers me the most about this? It’s an opinion piece masquerading as a news story. There is no identification of the 15 dead palestinians, all but one of whom were terrorists. And the one who was not was a child brought by his father to watch Daddy the Terrorist train with other terrorists.\

No context. Only blame. No background, only Israel as villain. No honesty, only spin. This article is a piece of crap.

Is it any wonder so many Europeans blame Israel and hold the pals blameless? They get nothing but anti-Israel spin in their news.