[Peace-discuss] More Israeli war crimes, more media complicity

[C. G. Estabrook]

[From <http://lefti.blogspot.com/>.]

On Friday, this was how one of the latest Israeli actions was described:

     "Israel bombed the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza."

News reports described the building as "empty at the time," but did note 
that "one woman was killed and at least 30 others nearby were wounded."

It turns out, though, that there was more to the story, which is now 
making its way into some papers, though certainly not into the broadcast 
media:

     "The building, in a residential neighborhood flanked by the 
apartments of well-to-do residents, had been empty since it was severely 
damaged in a July 2006 airstrike."

So the building wasn't just "unoccupied," but "unused," and it wasn't 
the "Hamas-run Interior Ministry," but an building formerly used (and 
still owned) by the Interior Ministry. And, not only that, but a 
building located in a "residential neighborhood," where, as it turns 
out, a wedding was in progress:

     "An Israeli warplane attacked the downtown offices of the 
Palestinian Interior Ministry, flattening one wing of the empty 
building, killing a woman at a wedding party next door and wounding at 
least 46 other civilians, some of them children playing soccer in the 
street, hospital staff and witnesses said."

And why was this building attacked? Evidently it was not a military 
target, since it was an unused building. No, it was an act of pure 
terrorism - "sending a message" through bombing:

     "Even though it was unoccupied, it was seen as a symbol of Hamas 
authority."

But it isn't just me who says so, it's a U.N. official, who correctly 
described the Israeli actions as war crimes:

     "A United Nations official in Geneva on Saturday condemned Israel's 
actions, particularly the bombing on Friday of an empty Hamas Interior 
Ministry building in a Gaza City neighborhood. Shrapnel from the missile 
strike killed a woman and wounded up to 46 people, some of them 
children, who were celebrating at a wedding party next door.

     "The official, John Dugard, who works on human rights in the 
Palestinian territories, said the Israelis who were responsible 'for 
such cowardly action' resulting in civilian casualties 'are guilty of 
serious war crimes and should be prosecuted and punished for their 
crimes.' He said that the attack on the building 'near a wedding party 
venue' was carried out 'with what must have been foreseen loss of life 
and injury to many civilians.'"

And where did I read Dugard's statement? Of the major media, only in the 
New York Times, but even there, the Times does not acquit itself well. 
The headline to the article reads "Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Kills 2 
Hamas Members," and not until well in the article do we read that a U.N. 
official has leveled the rather serious charge of "war crimes" against 
Israel, rather a more newsworthy item than the death of yet two more 
Palestinians at Israeli hands. Talk about burying the lead! Also known 
as complicity.

As an aside, the Israelis are still describing this building, unused for 
more than a year and a half, as "a Hamas headquarters."

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