There’s lies, damn lies, and then there’s the following kind of journalism. As Joseph reports, Jawaher Abu Rahma, who lost her brother Bassam Abu Rahmah to tear gas just 18 months ago, died this morning from tear gas poisoning. The single most important thing about movement both siblings belonged to, and paid with their lives to sustain, is that it is a non-violent movement, of exactly the kind prayed for by liberals wishing for a Palestinian Ghandi or Mandela.
YNET’s Yair Altman reported the response of Mohammed Khatib, a member of the Bil’in Popular Committee, and it seems to fall well within the principles of non-violence:
“We are shocked and furious for Israel’s brutality, which once again cost the life of a peaceful demonstrator. Israel’s lethal and inhumane response to our struggle will not pass quietly. In the dawn of a new decade, it is time for the world to ask Israel for accountability and to bring about an end to the occupation.”
Yet despite reporting the full quote in the piece itself, this is how Altman chose to lead the story on the main page of Israel’s most important news site:
THE PALESTINIANS PROMISE VENGEANCE AFTER ABU RAHMA DIED, ACCORDING TO THEM OF BLOOD POISONING AFTER INHALING TEAR GAS AT A PROTEST AGAINST THE FENCE: “ISRAEL’S LETHAL RESPONSE WILL NOT PASS QUIETLY.”
and lest you blame the duty editor, this is how the report begins:
The protesters against the fence promise vengeance as the army keeps investigating…
Here’s the screenshot:
Although making a pig’s breakfast out of a story is no news for Altman, who previously filed a laughably one-sided report on Palestinians burning brush on their land and presenting them as ”arsonists“, I wonder if he will pause and think how reading this feels to Jawaher’s family and friends. Such a gross, indecent misrepresentation of everything the woman stood for is the journalistic equivalent of spitting on her corpse, and I hope he and his editors know it.
UPDATE: Ynet just changed their headline. You’ll laugh, but the report is still clutching to some straws. This is getting pathetic: “The protesters against the fence hint they will take vengeance, as the army keeps investigating…”
Screenshot:
Related stories:
Images: Funeral of Bil’in protester Jawaher Abu Rahmah
Yossi Gurvitz: Israeli Denial Essential to Killers
January 1, 2011
6:55 am
To all my Israeli friends and Jewish people all over the world:
Some kind of evil has kidnapped your faith. You, meaning, not personally but as a collective identity have fallen victim and your religion manipulated for mass murder. It does not much matter how things are spanned. The world does see it. The palestiniam Mandela are the little children. We know that you have used chemicals. We know that you are starving them, denying medicine and water.
Worse of all your God knows. Your consciousness Know.
Your God will not so easily forgive your bloody hands.
Restore your religion and live its values for there is still time. God sees the attempts to shut everybody up. Don’t you see? The whole world can’t be wrong.
You, of all the people, along with the Africans know what it is to fall victims to endless cruelty from man. Your prolonged torture and torment of the Palestinians will corrupt your soul so strongly that your God will deny you mercy. This is already leaving cold and unfeeling. This is not a characteristic of the Jewish people.
If you join together please stop your government in Israel from this carnage.You can always decide on borders and other issues. For now stop the violence.
You are not that other guy.
January 1, 2011
8:34 am
Yes, this evil is called 40 years of palestinian terror and the terrorist groups’, which are far less moral than the israeli army, effort to kill as many civilians as they can by suicide bombers and by rockets. This, indeed, messed up our individual and collective minds. Hope we will sign a peace agreement soon and all the fences will come down.
January 1, 2011
10:02 am
NEARI Darling,
Israel has murdered many more civilians.
January 1, 2011
6:56 pm
@NEARI
Your “moral” IDF has killed far more civilians than all the suicide bombers and rockets ever launched by Palestinian groups. The evil is 40 years of Israeli state sponsored murder.
January 1, 2011
7:17 pm
[...] Ynet reporter slurs non-violent movement [...]
January 2, 2011
12:18 am
[...] Ynet reporter slurs non-violent movement [...]