AP Still Getting its Facts Wrong
';It has been a few hours since Israel determined that the Gaza blast that killed most of a family was the result of a secondary explosion from targeted terrorists outside the house carrying munitions.
AP’s Ibrahim Barzak is now reporting Israel’s side of the story, but very skeptically:
In a statement, the military said explosives carried by the militants were detonated by an Israeli airstrike, and the blast from the explosives hit the house, not a tank shell, “and uninvolved civilians were hit.” Palestinians said the militants were at least 400 yards from the house and none of the fighters were killed near the structure.
But the most detailed Gaza based account of the events, from PCHR which blames Israel for the explosion, show that this last sentence is a lie:
At approximately 8:15, an IOF plane fired a rocket at a group of resistance members near Abdallah Azzam Mosque, southwest of Izbit Abd Rabbou, approximately 1000 meters away from the main area of the incursion. The rocket fell 10 meters away from the house of Ahmad Eid Hassan Abu Me’tiq, seriously injuring a resistance member. Less than a minute later two rockets were fired at the same area and landed at the door of the same house, killing another resistance member: Ibrahim Salem Suliman Hajouj (20). Shrapnel from the rockets destroyed the house door and spread inside the house. Meyasar Metliq Abu Me’tiq (40) and her 6 children were eating breakfast only 2 meters away from the door. The shrapnel killed four of the children immediately. The mother was seriously injured; and the other two children were moderately injured. The mother later died of her wounds. In addition, 10 bystanders were injured, some of them sustaining moderate to serious injuries.
The AP cannot do basic fact-checks to show that their Palestinian Arab sources are, simply, liars, and by quoting them credulously they make it appear that the evidence supports the Palestinian Arab story and not the Israeli version. They are doing a better job than the thousand-odd “news” stories that don’t even acknowledge Israel’s claims, but they still fail basic journalism principles.
Meanwhile, I cannot find any pictures of the house to see whether it looks like some shrapnel went through the door or if a major blast occurred right outside.
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Elder of Ziyon may or may not be a real person. He (or she, or it) blogs at http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/
April 29th, 2008 at 12:05 am
There is another aspect that makes the report seem more like fiction.
Can you imagine a family sitting down eating breakfast while rockets are falling right outside their house?
I can tell you from the time I have spent in Sderot, that while rockets are exploding, you are not sitting eating breakfast. You are huddled in corners seeking shelter.
This gives the whole story has the air of someone crafting it rather than reporting it.
Stan
April 29th, 2008 at 1:02 am
but do you think they really care who killed them?
that’s why they use them as human shields, it’s good for the cause, their funeral is a celebration
April 29th, 2008 at 7:13 am
I can remember a comment once made by Ronald Reagan, who got notoriously bad press. He’d shrug. And, he said the words didn’t matter. The only thing that counted was his smiling picture.
Here? There’s no picture of the doorway/building. So you can’t really tell the direction the blast took.
Meanwhile, arabs aren’t stupid. And, yes, many of them know they are lied to all of the time.
Winston Churchill once sayd that malice always comes along to attack the truth. And, still the truth remains visable.
yes. Even in Gaza. Even among the blind.
While at the same time, instead of the media conglomerates OWNING the story; what happens is that people turn to their computers.
During WW2 the nazis couldn’t help themselves. They lied. And, people had hidden away short-wave radios, to pick up broadcasts that told them the truth.
Do you know how quickly the nazis faded as soon as General Patton began marching across the Rhine?
Here’s what I’m saying. American soldiers entered germany, and were amazed. No one was willing to admit they were a nazi. “Nope, no nazis here.”
We are not there, yet, with what the arabs are doing. Meanwhile, we are NOT fighting on their terms. And, we’re not lying, either. So like detectives; like Sherlock Holmes! Many people just take what they hear from the media … and they stop shopping there, as customers.
When the last person walks out the door, will it make a noise?
How many want to bet that the arabs are gonna come out looking to shake hands, and make friends? I kid you not! Will they find people who will trust them? I ask, even though, I think not.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:20 am
“Meanwhile, arabs aren’t stupid. And, yes, many of them know they are lied to all of the time.”
ummm….I’m gonna disagree with you there Carol.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:07 am
April 28th, 2008
IDF SPOKESPERSON’S ANNOUNCEMENT
During IDF operation this morning in northern Gaza, the IDF targeted from the air two Palestinian gunmen who were approaching the soldiers while carrying large bags on their backs. A big explosion erupted on the scene, following the attack against the two, indicating the presence of bombs and explosives in the gunmen’s bags. As a result of this big explosion, extensive damage was caused to a house that was near the gunmen and uninvolved civilians were hit. The IDF Spokesperson wishes to stress that the responsibility for the injuring and killing of uninvolved civilians lies with the terrorist organization Hamas, which operates within civilian population, using them as human shields and risking their lives by keeping bombs and explosives near them.