Subject: txt 1st hots israel msm -
It's now all over the headlines: "Israeli Soldiers Kill at Least 10 Protesters on Boat Carrying Supplies to Gaza."
But with all stories, there are indeed two sides.
As international outrage mounts, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancels Tuesday's scheduled meeting with President Obama, it is crucial that news outlets here offer an accurate, fair and balanced assessment of exactly what transpired in the Mediterranean Sea early Monday morning.
After all, according to Israel's Haaretz, this isn't the unprovoked massacre some in the media are depicting:
The commandos, who intercepted the Turkish ferry Mavi Marmara after it ignored orders to turn back, said they encountered violent resistance from activists armed with sticks and knives. According to the soldiers, the activists threw one of their comrades from the upper deck to the lower after they boarded.
Activists attacked a commando with iron bars as he descended onto the ship from a helicopter, the army said. The IDF said its rules of engagement allowed troops to open fire in what it called a "life-threatening situation".
The soldiers said they were forced to open fire after the activists struck one of their comrades in the head and trampled on him. A senior field commander ordered the soldiers then to respond with fire, a decision which the commandos said received full backing the military echelon.
Some 700 pro-Palestinian 'activists' were on the boats... [snip]
As readers are likely aware, relations between America and Israel are currently more strained than they've been in decades as Netanyahu was largely snubbed by Obama when he was here in March.
This makes it imperative for America's normally pro-Palestinian media to be as diligent as ever in how this flotilla incident is reported.
As Ed Morrissey noted Monday:
The world will blame Israel for this, but the blockade exists to keep weapons out of the hands of Hamas, which continually attacks Israel despite the latter's withdrawal from Gaza years ago. It's a legitimate and necessary military response to Hamas' terrorism, and the flotilla knowingly sailed itself into a military conflict - and carried arms into it as well...As this flotilla incident is already sparking anti-Israeli sentiment across the globe, the press need to exercise great caution in making sure they don't consciously or unconsciously fan the flames of discontent that are already spreading.
If this incident was indeed precipitated and/or inflamed by pro-Palestinian activists aboard that vessel, it is incumbent upon America's media to make sure its reports convey the truth.
Our future relations with our greatest ally in the Middle East might depend on it.
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*****Update: As media report this incident, they might want to give some background about one of the groups participating in this aid flotilla.
The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center reported Wednesday (h/t Cubachi):
1. Prominent among the coalition organizations participating in the aid flotilla scheduled to arrive in the Gaza Strip in the coming days is the Turkish IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi, IHH, "humanitarian relief fund"). It is a radical Islamic organization which was established in 1992 and formally registered in Istanbul in 1995. [...]
3. In practice, besides its legitimate humanitarian activities, IHH supports radical Islamic terrorist networks. In recent years it has prominently supported Hamas (through the Union of Good). In addition, the ITIC has reliable information that in the past IHH provided logistical support and funding to global jihad networks.
4. IHH's orientation is radical-Islamic and anti-American, and it is close to the Muslim Brotherhood (Hamas' parent movement). IHH supports Hamas and does not hide the connection between them. Hamas also considers its links to IHH and Turkey to be extremely important, and regards Turkey as a target audience for its propaganda network (Palestine-Information, Hamas' main website, has a Turkish version, and as of the end of 2009, the website of its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, has also appeared in Turkish).
5. In recent years, especially since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip, IHH has supported Hamas' propaganda campaigns by organizing public support conferences in Turkey. At those conferences, which featured the participation of senior IHH figures, the heads of IHH expressed their support for Hamas and its strategy (including the armed struggle it favors), in defiance of the Palestinian Authority, Hamas' rival.
6. IHH is a member of the Union of Good, an umbrella organization of more than 50 Islamic funds and foundations around the globe, which channels money into Hamas institutions in the Palestinian Authority-administered territories. As a Union of Good member IHH has connections with other worldwide Islamic funds and foundations which support Hamas. Among other things, the support includes initiating and conducting joint projects whose objectives are to bolster the de facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip and Hamas' civilian infrastructure in Judea and Samaria, which also supports terrorism (the infrastructure is under pressure from the Palestinian Authority security services). IHH, which has become an important factor in global fund-raising for Hamas, transfers significant amounts of money to Hamas institutions in Judea and Samaria, including the Islamic Charitable Society in Hebron and the Al-Tadhamun Charitable Society in Nablus (Hamas' two central "charitable societies," both outlawed by Israel). [...]
9. Israel outlawed IHH because of its affiliation with the Union of Good and because it is an important factor in Hamas' global fund raising. It was included in a decision made by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in 2008 which outlawed 36 associations which belonged to the Union of Good (IHH appeared as number 36 on the list4). [...]
11. The ITIC has reliable information indicating that in the past IHH had links with global jihad and Islamic terrorist elements in the Middle East. As part of its connections with the global jihad it supported jihadist terrorist networks in Bosnia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya.
12. That was manifested by logistic support for the transfer of weapons and money. This information verifies findings of a study conducted by a Danish research institute into IHH's past links with Al-Qaeda (See below). [...]
14. In 2006 a Danish research institute called the Danish Institute for International Studies conducted a study which reported that in the past IHH had connections with Al-Qaeda and global jihad operatives.5 The well-documented study was conducted by Evan Kohlman,6 an American researcher who specializes in Al-Qaeda and related subjects. It deals with the involvement of Islamic charity funds and foundations in supporting terrorism. [...]
19. IHH is prominent among the many pro-Palestinian organizations in Turkey participating in the aid flotilla, which will reach the Gaza Strip in the coming days. Its participation is part of the massive aid it gives Hamas and its desire to make propaganda capital for Hamas and itself.
Will America's media share these details with the public?
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*****Update II: Al-Jazeera on Friday broadcast a piece called "Freedom Flotilla." MEMRI has published a rather disturbing clip of this program filmed aboard one of the vessels apparently involved in Monday's incident (video available here, transcript follows:
Reporter: Despite the Israeli threats and some unexpected obstacles, the arrival of the ships at the rendezvous, in preparation to set sail to Gaza, has kindled the emotions and enthusiasm of the participants.
Crowd chanting: "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return."
Reporter: Through songs about the Palestinian Intifada, the participants expressed their longing to reach Gaza.
Participant 1: The brothers here are shouting and are full of enthusiasm. They are waiting to leave soon, with the ships around us in the sea. Allah willing, we will make our way to Gaza.
Participant 2: We are now waiting for one of two good things - either to achieve martyrdom, or to reach Gaza.
We are waiting for either martyrdom or to reach Gaza.
Sound like these folks were expecting hostilities?
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