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COMMUNIQUE: 13 June 2006
Gaza Beach Libel
Following Palestinian claims and the media reports of Israeli culpability
in deaths on a
Gaza beach, the real story emerges...
Tell a friend about this article
It is now becoming clear that, despite the claims of the Palestinians and
the
international media's rush to blame Israel, the deaths of seven
Palestinian civilians on
a beach in Gaza on 9 June were not caused by the IDF. Investigations by
the IDF and others
over the past few days have revealed new evidence that a Hamas mine was
most likely the
cause of the beach blast:
1) Shrapnel removed from two of the wounded Palestinians evacuated to
Israeli hospitals
was not from Israeli-made ordnance.
2) No large crater was evident on the beach as would be expected from the
impact of an
artillery shell landing from above. The blast site would suggest the
likelihood of a mine
exploding from below the sand rather than above.
3) The IDF fired six shells towards the Gaza area, one of which remained
unaccounted for.
All of the shells were fired, however, more than 10 minutes before the
blast that killed
the Palestinians.
It is now increasingly likely, that in true "Pallywood" fashion, as seen
in the Mohammed
Al-Dura case and the Jenin "massacre" libel, the Palestinians have
attempted another
cover-up in order to smear Israel:
1) Palestinian Television broadcast doctored scenes showing file footage
of Israeli naval
vessels shelling Gaza, interspersed with video of the beach victims,
despite the fact that
the Israeli Navy was not responsible for any shelling at the time. Click
here to see the
footage courtesy of Palestinian Media Watch.
2) Suspicions were initially raised by the Palestinian refusal to
cooperate with Israeli
investigators and the remarkably swift cleansing of evidence from the
blast scene by Hamas
gunmen who arrived shortly after the incident. Palestinian spokespeople
usually display
parts of Israeli shells to the international media - but not this time.
3) Israeli intelligence suggests that Hamas had mined the beach area in
order to prevent
Israeli naval commandos from landing there as part of anti-terror
operations to prevent
Qassam missile launches.
THE MEDIA'S PREMATURE RESPONSE
Even though there was no evidence as to who was responsible, other than
Palestinian claims
of Israeli culpability for a "massacre," the international media
immediately bought into
the Palestinian storyline. This, despite the continuing barrage of Qassam
missiles, some
of which had fallen on Gaza, and the "work accidents" caused by
Palestinian explosives
detonating prematurely, which should have made journalists think twice.
Here are some
examples of those who did not:
The Washington Post's headline: Israeli Fire Kills 7 Beachgoers in Gaza
Excerpt: Israeli artillery fire targeting the northern Gaza Strip on
Friday killed at
least seven Palestinian civilians and wounded 30 others, Palestinian
hospital officials
and witnesses said.
Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The New York Times' headline: Errant Shell Turns Girl Into Palestinian Icon
Excerpt: Eleven-year-old Huda unwittingly became a symbol of Palestinian
pain and loss
during an afternoon picnic with her family on a hot day when a cameraman
captured her
shrieking "Father, Father, Father!" as she hovered over the bloody
bodiesof 13 dead or
wounded members of her family, hit by what was apparently an errant
Israeli artillery
shell.
Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Australia Broadcasting Corporation's headline: Israel faces criticism over
Gaza beach
shelling
Excerpt: Seven Palestinians died on Friday, when the Israeli military
shelled the beach
where they were enjoying the Muslim day of rest, an eighth victim died in
hospital on
Saturday.
Contact: http://www.abc.net.au/contact/contactnews.htm
CNN's headline: Beach strike shakes Hamas cease-fire
Excerpt: An Israeli navy gunboat fired shells onto a northern Gaza
beachFriday, killing
at least seven people and prompting the military wing of Hamas to call off
a 16-month-old
cease-fire with Israel.
Contact: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/
The Guardian's headline: Death on the beach: seven Palestinians killed as
Israeli shells
hit family picnic
Excerpt: A barrage of Israeli artillery shells rained down on a busy Gaza
beach
yesterday, killing seven Palestinians, three of them children.
Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Independent's headline: Palestinians killed on Gaza beach by Israeli
gunboats
Excerpt: Israeli naval gunboats killed at least seven Palestinian
civilians and wounded
about 40 others as they relaxed in the summer heat on a beach in northern
Gaza yesterday.
Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Times of London's headline: Girl who saw family die on beach becomes
icon and media
celebrity
Excerpt: In the days since a wild-haired Huda Ghalia was filmed howling
with anguish amid
a family picnic blown apart by shellfire, she has become an instant symbol
of suffering
across the Arab world.
Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CONSEQUENCES FOR ISRAELI DIPLOMACY
Aside from the very real damage caused to Israel's public image, the
images and headlines
transmitted around the world also demonstrated the sometimes insidious
influence of the
media on Israel's diplomatic standing. Coming at the same time as Israeli
PM Ehud Olmert's
visit to the UK, it was therefore damaging that the British Foreign
Secretary Margaret
Beckett launched a scathing attack on Israel following the incident, which
the British
press interpreted as casting a shadow over the trip. In addition, the
French also rushed
to issue condemnation of Israel, deploring "Israel's bombardments on
abeach in the Gaza
Strip, whose disproportionate character has cost the lives of several
civilians and
injured many others."
HonestReporting is aware of the political and diplomatic damage that
biased or inaccurate
reporting causes for Israel within international governmental circles.
Contact details for
elected representatives from a number of countries can be found on
HonestReporting's
website along with those of many national and international media outlets.
While the media may choose not to believe the results of the IDF inquiry,
it has a duty to
report on the developing story and the new evidence that has emerged.
HonestReporting
calls on its subscribers to hold the media to account for its initial
premature judgments
and to also ensure that the real story is published.
QASSAM BLITZKRIEG ON ISRAEL
Palestinian terrorists continue to launch Qassam missiles from Gaza,
subjecting Israel to an intolerable blitzkrieg of over 100 missiles
launched since the
weekend, wounding at least two Israelis in Sderot and causing damage to a
number of
buildings in Sderot and the western Negev. No country, including Israel
can be expected
not to take action under these circumstances.
While attempting to escalate the situation further, Islamic Jihad
terrorists were
prevented from launching even more deadly Katyusha missiles by an Israeli
air strike on
Tuesday. Unfortunately, due to Palestinian terrorists operating from
within densely
populated areas, a number of civilians also died when the terrorists'
vehicle was hit by
an Israeli missile. Due to the continuous barrage of Palestinian missiles,
Israel has been
left with little choice but to take action to defend its citizens.
As seen by this and recent events, Palestinian terrorists show scant
disregard for the
lives of their own people as well as Israelis, continuing to cause
suffering in the
region.
HonestReporting. com
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