Palestinians Blow Selves Up, Blame Israel, and Media Buys It

[Nie Trink Wasser]

Quote:

Although Palestinians initially claimed that Israel fired a tank shell in the northern Gaza Strip, killing the four men, Israel immediately denied responsibility, noting that its army had not fired any tank shells in the area. And, within hours, the Associated Press reported that the Palestinians were members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade who died when the bombs they were planting prematurely exploded. AP’s Ibrahim Barzak reported:


Four Palestinian militants died, apparently when a bomb they were planting exploded in northern Gaza. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel could still build Jewish settlements in defiance of a U.S.-backed peace plan.
At first, Palestinian security officials said Israeli tanks fired shells late Sunday at a group of militants from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, affiliated with the mainstream Fatah, killing three men and wounding four others, in the northeast town of Beit Hanoun. Another died later in a hospital, doctors said.

However, later loudspeaker trucks drove through the area saying that the four died while “fulfilling their national duty,” a phrase used in the past to announce the accidental deaths of people planning attacks against Israel.

Israel military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israeli forces did not fire shells. Instead, they said, the militants were on their way to plant a bomb and it went off prematurely, killing them (“Four Palestinians killed in renewed Mideast violence”)

ABC and NBC fared worst in the accuracy test, outrightly violating SPJ’s code when they reported the Palestinian charge against Israel and ignored Israel’s denials. Their reports are even more egregious in light of the fact that reports now seem to confirm Israel’s position. Bob Woodruff of ABC stated:

In the Middle East today three Palestinians were killed and four seriously wounded when Israeli tanks in Gaza fired at them

Likewise, NBC’s Jim Maceda reported:

Tonight, three Palestinian militants were reported killed by Israeli tanks in Gaza.

While ABC’s and NBC’s broadcasts reflected the Palestinian version of events, without even mentioning Israel’s position, other news organizations, such as CBS, were much more careful, acknowledging just after the incident occurred that the events were disputed. Thus, John Roberts of CBS correctly reported both sides’ versions:

The day after the assassination of a top member of Hamas, Palestinian sources say Israeli tanks fired on a group of Palestinian militants in Gaza, killing three. Israel says the three were on their way to plant a bomb when it exploded prematurely.

CNN, like ABC and NBC, initally reported that an Israeli tank shell killed the three Palestinians (Fredricka Whitfield, June 22). But, unlike ABC and NBC, the next day CNN updated viewers, making clear that initially the circumstances were disputed, and that later Palestinian officials ultimately seemed to agree with Israel’s version of events. On June 23, Jerold Kessel explained:

Last night, four Palestinian militants killed in the northern part of Gaza. Disputed circumstances, at first, about how they died, whether they were preparing a bomb or Israel had shelled them.

Israel denied that there was any attack by its side. And, the Palestinians, indications are that they were definitely the members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, that mainstream radical group that had been trying to prepare a bomb against the Israeli forces occupying that part of Gaza [sic]. And they may have died when the bomb exploded prematurely. That's seems to be the indication [sic], although the Al-Aqsa are still saying they were shot by the Israelis.

Tamar Sternthal