Rockets

Several days ago BBC broke a story that accused the Israeli Defense Force of perpetrating a massacre against Palestinian civilians. Palestinian mobs filled the streets and Hamas announced plans for a fresh wave of terrorist attacks against Israelis. Moreover, Kofi Annan issued a statement condemning the disproportionate Israeli force. Sadly, the mainstream media coverage ended there.

Last night the Israeli government released a report into the incident. The report found that no specific orders to target the site were issued and that the likelihood of an errant misfire was slim. The report cited the following anomalies as justification for its conclusion:
1. Shrapnel taken from two wounded Palestinians who were evacuated to Israeli hospitals showed that the explosives were not manufactured in Israel.
2. Absence of a sufficiently large crater, indicative of IDF artillery shells, at the site of the explosion.
3. All debris were removed before the IDF was able to investigate. Limited Palestinian co-operation has hindered all efforts to investigate the site.
The leading theory currently entertained, suggested that an explosive charge, buried by Palestinians on the Gaza beach to prevent Israeli infiltration, was behind the explosion. A more realistic theory is that Hamas murdered their own in an attempt to subvert the imminent Palestinian Referendum.

Naturally, the Hamas response was instant. Over 50 shells were launched against the southern Israeli city of Sderot. Two people were wounded by the bombardment; one is critical. The mayor of the city presented a plea on behalf of his constituents to an Israeli minister. Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, issued an ultimatum to the terrorists urging them to cease the rocket attacks of face a calculated Israeli response. The rocket attacks continued and the IDF has finally responded by killing two Islamic Jihad operatives on their way to carry out the attack.

I draw the reader's attention to two points. The first is the obvious asymmetry between the Israeli and the Palestinian military tactics; the deliberate targeting of civilians on the Arab side and the tireless efforts to minimise civilian casualties on the Israeli side. Arrogant Western media outlets casually refer to this bullshit notion of a cycle of violence. Fact: the linear violence exists because the Palestinians repeatedly inflame it. And in rare instances where there is a lul they instigate it. Secondly, there is evidence to suggest that Hamas was an accomplice to the Islamic Jihad Kassam campaign.

The sad reality that I must bear at this point in time, and believe me when I say that it eats at me, is the obvious realisation that the Intifada is an elaborate publicity stunt to undermine the legitimacy of the state of Israel. I find it morally reprehensible and an indictment of Western media outlets that I have to write entries like these and correct malignant fallacies. This, along with numerous other incidents, among them the Jenin massacre, illustrate that journalism is a profession dominated by opportunistic grubs. Undoubtedly, the BBC will retract its story or will extend a thorough analysis into the incident, but this will certainly be relegated to a tiny corner of a back page. Nevertheless, the BBC succeeded- a family of Palestinians was wantonly murdered by their own, a Jew is on his deathbed and Israel is the bad guy despite the absence of any evidence. Hooray for freedom of the press!