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June 21, 2010

Action Alert: False Gaza History From NYT, WaPo

FAIR has a new Action Alert (6/21/10) on misleading historical context about Gaza’s rockets in the coverage of flotilla attack in the New York Times and Washington Post. You can post copies of your letters to the papers, or responses on the alert, in the comments thread below.

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  1. Jim, why the use of terms in the alert like “misremember”, “no longer recall”, and “persuade”?

    The point of the alert’s that the corpress is lying about the situation, isn’t it? You call their reporting a “False Gaza History” above, so why not be consistent in calling a spade a spade?

    I seen this a number of times, and I’d really like to know the reasoning.

  4. Pertinent piece, I think:

    And What of All the Other Deaths?
    The decision to indict Staff Sgt. S. for killing two women during Cast Lead has caused a stir. But his lawyer will rightly ask, ‘Why him, and not all the others who killed civilians?’
    by Amira Hass

    http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/06/22

    And a possible reaction by some:

    “More anti-Semitic drivel.

    Hass is Jewish? And an Israeli?

    Well, another self-hating Jew, then.

    That’s it.

    Her mother survived Bergen-Belsen?

    Well, um … then she’s … she’s …

    (Long pause)

    (Breaks into HaTikvah)

    Kol ode balevav
    P’nimah –

    Nefesh Yehudi homiyah

    Ulfa’atey mizrach kadimah
    Ayin l’tzion tzofiyah!

    Ode lo avdah tikvatenu
    Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim:

    L’hiyot am chofshi b’artzenu –
    Eretz Tzion v’Yerushalayim!!!”

  5. response to Action Alert
    Dear Public Editor,

    Please instruct your news staff to review what your paper has reported previously about Hamas and the Qassam rockets before they write..
    In June, 2010, this version appeared of the situation before Israel’s attack on Gaza:

    “Israel…invaded in late 2008 to stop a flow of rockets and destroyed thousands of buildings.”
    (New York Times, 6/11/10)

    One doesn’t expect your reporters to remind your readers that Israeli Brig.Gen.Shmuel Zakai of the Gaza Division resigned because israel failed to fulfil its part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas although Hamas fulfilled its part and largely prevented rockets being shot from Gaza.
    However, one does expect them to know that on December 19, 2008, the Times’ Ethan Bronner reported that Hamas had been “largely successful” in seriously curtailing rocket fire from Gaza, adding that “Hamas imposed its will and even imprisoned some of those who were firing rockets.”

    Please emphasize truth and accuracy in reporting. And please print a correction of the false information. I’m attaching and copying below a fact sheet on Hamas as well as a longer more detailed report with citations. I hope they will be useful.

    Thank you for correcting the problem.

    Peace be with you and with all people,
    Ellen Rosser

    – Hide quoted text –
    FRIENDSHIP AND PEACE SOCIETY
    Email: ellen.rosser@gmail.com
    Website: http://www.friendship-and-peace.org

    THE TRUTH ABOUT HAMAS: IT HAS ACCEPTED THE TWO STATE SOLUTION OFFICIALLY SINCE 2004

    Founded: l987 by Sheik Yassin and Dr. Rantisi. Israel supported its
    founding as an alternative to the PLO. The Charter called for the
    liberation of all of Palestine in which Muslims, Christians and Jew
    would flourish under an Islamic government. The Military Branch,
    Izadeen Qassam was created in l992.

    1995 Dr. Ellen Rosser met with Sheik Yassin and gave him the proposal on Jerusalem, which has Jerusalem belonging to God and governed by the religious leaders of the three Abrahamic religions and being the capital of both Israel and Palestine though belonging to neither. The proposal also has the Judeo-Christian-Islamic Council governing Jerusalem giving the Jews the right to rebuild the Temple of King Solomon at the north end of the Temple Mount. Sheik Yassin had â┚¬Ã…“no objections.â┚¬Ã‚

    During the Second Intifida Izzadeen Qassam did conduct suicide
    bombings, but in June 2004 Sheik Yassin stated that Hamas would end armed resistance in exchange for a Palestinian State in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Israel assassinated Sheik Yassin and Dr. Rantisi in 2004.

    From August 2004, Hamas observed a unilateral ceasefire with Israel.

    In 2005 Hamas in its election campaign did not call for an end of
    Israel but instead called for an independent Palestinian state with
    Jerusalem as its capital.

    In 2005 Hamas signed the Cairo Declaration of 2005 and the National Reconciliation Document, which, as interpreted by Haniyeh and Maschaal, means that Hamas â┚¬Ã…“fully respectsâ┚¬Ã‚ the previous agreements between the Palestinians and Israel.

    In February, 2006, Khaled Mashaal said: “(Hamas) cannot oppose the unified Arab stance expressed in the resolution passed by the Arab League summit. That resolution, approved in Beirut, speaks of
    recognizing Israel and normalizing relations with it in exchange for a full withdrawal and a solution to the refugee problem”.

    Hamas won the election and continued to observe the unilateral
    ceasefire until Israel, responding to rocket fire from the small
    parties (not Hamas) attacked Gaza in June 2006 killing 220 civilians. The Popular Resistance Committee, including Izzadeen
    Quassm (Hamas’ military branch), then captured Gilad Shalit to exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

    In 2006, Prime Minister Haniyeh of Hamas wrote to Pres. George Bush offering a 20 year ceasefire with Israel during which there could be an exchange of ambassadors, in other words, official recognition of Israel.

    In early 2006 in Gaza, Hamas (and the small parties who were
    shooting the Qassam rockets –Islamic Jihad, PFLP, DFLP and Al Aqsa’s Martyrs’ Brigade), agreed to participate in a workshop and large march under the banner: Two Peoples, Two States, One Peace. (The Fatah-Hamas conflict prevented the workshop and march from being held.)

    On June `8, 2008, Israel and Hamas agreed upon a ceasefire. Hamas thereafter prevented the small parties in Gaza from launching Qassam rockets into Israel, although a few groups or individuals evaded the Hamas checkpoints to launch occasional rockets

    In November 4, 2008, the ceasefire ended when Israel attacked inside Gaza to destroy a tunnel that went into Israel. The small parties then began shooting rockets into Israel again.

    On December 27-28, Israel attacked Gaza to stop the rocket fire.
    During Operation Cast Lead, 894 civilians were killed, including
    280 under age 18. Perhaps 277 Hamas policemen and militants were killed.

    Israel and Hamas are negotiating another ceasefire.

    CONCLUSION: Hamas has been offering peace to Israel since before it was elected. It renounced violence in action, which is more important than words, through unilateral ceasefires and the negotiated ceasefires with Israel, it â┚¬Ã…“fully respectsâ┚¬Ã‚ previous agreements, it accepts the Arab Initiative, and Haniyeh offered an exchange of ambassadors, surely an official recognition of Israel.

    In other words, Hamas has more than met the conditions of the
    Quartet and should be accepted as a viable peace partner

  6. Doug Latimer,
    Do you think the Staff Sgt. S who was indited for killing two Palestinian women under a white flag during Operation Cast Lead is the same Staff Sgt. S who killed six Turks on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla?

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