Thursday, June 09, 2016
Israeli anthropologist murdered in #TelAvivAttack, as American Anthro Assoc censures Israel for security measures
Just three days ago, on June 6, the American Anthropological Association announced that the membership narrowly defeated an anti-Israel academic boycott resolution.
The resolution was opposed by many Israel anthropologists, including Dr. Michael Feige of Ben-Burion University of the Negev:
The boycott, if passed, would have directly affected not only universities like Ben-Gurion, but those who work there like Dr. Feige.
Feige was one of hundreds to sign a statement against the boycott.
Despite the loss of the resolution vote, the AAA Executive Board, led by Alisse Waterston, AAA’s president and an anthropology professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, issued without a membership vote a censure and other steps against Israel.
A key justification for the censure and other steps was Israeli security practices such as checkpoints:
Tel Aviv victims: professor, mother of 4, ex-commando, engaged woman
Police have released the names of the four victims killed in Wednesday’s terror attack in Tel Aviv’s Sarona Market.PMW: Abbas doesn't condemn killing Israelis; instead, expresses "opposition to any operation that harms civilians"
Forty-two-year-old Ido Ben Ari from Ramat Gan, 39-year-old Ilana Naveh from Tel Aviv, 58-year-old Michael Feige from Ramat Gan and 32-year-old Mila Mishayev from Rishon Lezion were killed when two Palestinian terrorists opened fire inside a restaurant in the shopping complex in central Tel Aviv, according to police.
All four were Israeli citizens, a police statement added.
Sixteen others were injured in the attack. Three of the victims remained in intensive care Thursday morning at nearby Ichilov Hospital, along with one of the attackers who was shot by a security guard, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Ben-Ari was a father of two. He served in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit during his IDF service and was working in a senior position at The Coca-Cola Company’s Israel branch, his sister told the Ynet news site.
Since October 2015, the PA and Fatah have honored and glorified all the terrorists who have carried out lethal attacks. At times, the Palestinian Authority did not immediately glorify the terrorists due to fear of international condemnation.
As of today, the process of public honoring has not yet begun for the Palestinian terrorists who killed four Israelis yesterday in Tel Aviv. However, the PA and Fatah have made their opinions clear in the careful language they have chosen to report on the terror attack.
It should not be forgotten that the Palestinian Authority's clearest affirmation of terror is that the two terrorists who murdered the Israelis yesterday in Tel Aviv and who were apprehended by Israeli police will be rewarded with a monthly salary from the Palestinian Authority starting immediately. This is PA law.
Since the terror attack was immediately condemned in strongest terms by many governments and by world leaders including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Mahmoud Abbas has issued a statement, not of condemnation of yesterday's terror attack, but of his "opposition to any operation that harms civilians by anybody, regardless of the justifications." [WAFA (the official Palestinian news agency), June 9, 2016] His statement does not even refer directly to the attack.
He also implicitly blamed Israel, as his Fatah party did earlier in the day explicitly, (see below) when he added: "Achieving peace requires everyone stop carrying out operations that are likely to increase the tension and resorting to violence." The implication is that some "operations" forced these people to "resort to violence."
Miracle amidst tragedy: Tel Aviv terror victim survives two shots to the head
Among all the tragic accounts that emanated from Wednesday night's deadly terrorist shooting in central Tel Aviv, there was one that resulted in a miracle.Hamas claims terrorists who killed 4 in Tel Aviv bloodbath as its own
Asaf Bar, one of the wounded victims in the attack by two Palestinians at the upscale Sarona market, narrowly escaped the harrowing experience with his life intact.
Bar and his girlfriend were sitting at the Max Brenner cafe when the nearby terrorists opened fire in their direction. Bar was shot in the head and wounded, but he miraculously survived and stayed conscious throughout the terrifying events.
Bar's father, Avner, and his sister, Dana, spoke to Israeli media and recounted his ordeal.
"Asaf was sitting there with his girlfriend. They were there eating a breakfast meal, and the perpetrator, the first thing he did was to shoot two bullets at Asaf," they said.
"I feel like [my] boy is here as a gift from God," he father marveled.
The Hamas terror group said in a statement early Thursday that the two gunmen who shot up a Tel Aviv cafe on Wednesday night were members of the organization.
At least four people were killed in the terror attack Wednesday night at the Sarona Market shopping complex, and another 16 were injured, including three in serious condition. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “decisive action” to track down those responsible for the third deadly attack in the city this year.
The two suspects were named in Palestinian media reports as Muhammad and Khalid Muhamra. One of the men was shot by a security guard and seriously injured, the second was arrested by police and taken in for questioning.
The two 21-year-old men from the West Bank village of Yatta, near Hebron, entered Israel illegally, but had no criminal record.
Hamas blames Tel Aviv attack on ‘Al-Aqsa violations,’ threatens more
The Hamas terror group on Thursday praised a deadly terror attack in Tel Aviv the previous evening and said it came in response to unspecified Israeli “violations” at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.Uncle of Sarona terrorists murdered four in 2002
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Israeli “violations” at the Mosque were responsible for the shooting attack at the Sarona Market in central Tel Aviv that left four Israelis dead and another 16 injured.
“The Tel Aviv operation is a natural response to Israeli desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the crimes against the Palestinian people,” he said in a statement, without specifying what the so-called violations and crimes were.
The attack came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, typically a time of increased religious tensions [ie. terrorism].
Police revealed Thursday morning a family connection between the two terrorists involved in Wednesday night’s deadly terror rampage, reporting that Khalid and Muhammad Musa Mehamara were cousins, hailing from the prominent Mehamara clan in Yatta, south of Hevron.PreOccupiedTerritory: Palestinian Villagers Forced To Buy Israeli Sweets To Celebrate Tel Aviv Killings (satire)
Terrorism apparently runs in the family, and Khalid and Muhammad are not the first terrorists from the clan to kill Israelis.
An uncle of the cousins, Taleb Mehamara, was a member of a terror cell that in 2002 targeted Israelis in southern Judea, killing four in a shooting attack.
Taleb, a member of the Fatah Tanzim terror organization, was later captured, tried, and sentenced. He is currently sitting in an Israeli prison. In addition, his house was demolished by the IDF.
Israeli forces sealed off Yatta overnight, raiding the home of Muhammad Musa Mehamara and detaining relatives of the two terrorists.
Residents of this isolated town north of Nablus confessed they felt awkward last night and this morning upon discovering that the only candies available at the moment for distribution to hail the killing of four Israelis in a Tel Aviv restaurant last night were of Israeli manufacture.Israel nixes thousands of Ramadan entry visas after TA attack
Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire in a trendy, downtown Tel Aviv cafe Wednesday night, killing four and injuring five. In celebration, Palestinians everywhere gave out candies and pastries. In Dayariyya, however, the relative isolation meant that the local shops had been unable this week to replenish their stocks of Palestinian-made goodies, and residents had no choice but to celebrate using candies whose purchase would indirectly support Israeli enterprises.
Village elders voiced consternation. “We’re very much in favor of BDS, most of the time,” said Dayya Bittis, a retired construction worker. “Unless it affects our bottom line. Jobs, you know? But this is a slightly different situation. It’s not our livelihoods that are at stake, but our sense of identity. Can we truly claim the mantle of Palestinianhood without distributing sweets when our brothers murder Israelis? And if we do celebrate, can we in good conscience do so if the only means available involves putting money in the pockets of Israelis?”
In practice, say the villagers, elders have refrained from giving specific guidance on whether to abstain from celebrating in the traditional manner or to buy Israeli candy. Local grocers report that some customers have bought packages of Israeli candy without comment, but that several did specifically ask whether there was any of local provenance.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot upon the Prime Minister’s return from a state visit to Russia, Wednesday night, to discuss Israel’s response to the terror attack in Tel Aviv’s Sarona Market which left four dead and five wounded.Israel-friendly reactions to attack don’t herald new-found support
In the wake of the attack, the Defense Ministry has frozen work entry visas for some 204 members of the attackers’ extended family. The attackers, identified as Khalid and Muhammad Musa Mehamara, both 21-years old, are cousins from the village of Yatta, south of Hevron. The two terrorists reportedly entered Israel without permits and resided in Israel illegally for months while preparing for the attack.
Israel has also rescinded some 83,000 entry permits given to Arabs from Judea and Samaria for Ramadan. Goodwill gestures to Gaza Arabs, including travel permits to Jerusalem to participate in Ramadan prayers on the Temple Mount, have also been rescinded.
In their statements on Wednesday’s deadly terror attack in Tel Aviv, world leaders refrained from their usual chorus of asking both Israelis and Palestinians, in the same breath, to exercise “restraint” and to resume peace talks. Rather, they limited themselves to outright condemnations of the murders and in some cases even denounced Hamas for celebrating the bloodbath and called for an end to the anti-Jewish propaganda that is seen to have inspired it.UN Watch: Rare: UN chief rebukes Hamas leaders for celebrating Tel Aviv terror attack
However, rather than a sea change in world attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this remarkably different tone from the international community is solely a matter of semantics.
Hence, pressure on Israel to move toward the implementation of a two-state solution is liable to pick up not long after the reports of this attack fade from the headlines, and even probably intensify dramatically in the coming weeks and months.
The change in style of post-attack condemnations is unmistakable, though, as a quick comparison indicates.
In a rare move, the United Nations has rebuked Hamas leaders, with secretary-general Ban Ki-moon saying he was “shocked” that they celebrated last night’s deadly Palestinian terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, which claimed the lives of four Israelis, wounding another 16.Australian Ambassador dines at TA market in show of solidarity
Anyone remotely familiar with the Hamas terrorist group may rightly ask whether there’s any reason to be “shocked.” Yet Mr. Ban’s expression was a form of rebuke, and it is to be welcomed.
Unlike the usual mealy-mouthed UN responses to attacks on Israelis, this one rightly called it a terrorist attack; noted that the assailants were Palestinians; and called out Hamas leaders for glorifying the murders.
Initially, the UN chief was silent, while only Nickolay Mladenov, the UN envoy to the Middle East peace process, was speaking out:
Words of condemnation and support continue to pour in from foreign leaders, following the deadly shooting spree by Arab terrorists in central Tel Aviv on Wednesday night.UK prime minister 'stands with Israel against terrorism'
But one senior foreign diplomat in Israel felt words were not enough.
On Thursday morning, Australian Ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma announced that he and his entire staff would be having lunch at the Sarona Market, at the site of the attack which claimed the lives of four innocent Israeli civilians.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Ambassador Sharma said he and his staff had been particularly effected by the attack at the popular tourist hotspot, which was packed with customers and visitors despite last night's attack.
"Last night's terrorist attack at Sarona Market was felt deeply by the Australian Embassy," he said. "It's a place we have all spent many happy hours with family and friends, so seeing the tragedy unfold last night was profoundly shocking.
"We came here to have lunch today to show the people of Israel that we feel your pain, mourn your loss, and stand alongside you as you confront such terror."
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday morning joined the chorus of international condemnation following Wednesday night's deadly shooting attack at Tel Aviv's Sarona Market.US condemns 'cowardly' and 'horrific' terrorist attack in Tel Aviv
On Thursday morning, the UK's prime minister added his voice to the condemnations, along with several other leading British government officials, and reiterated that his country would continue to stand in solidarity with the Jewish state.
"I am sickened by the appalling attack in Tel Aviv," Cameron said. "We stand with Israel against terrorism and my thoughts are with the victims and families."
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Twitter slammed the "cowardly" attack, stating on Twitter: "Cowardly attack in #TelAviv. Thoughts & condolences with victims & their families, no justification for terrorism anywhere"
Last night, Britain's Ambassador to Israel David Quarry similarly tweeted: "Condemn the attack in Sarona,Tel Aviv this evening. No possible justification for terrorism anywhere. Our thoughts w/ victims and families."
The United States condemned an attack on a popular Tel Aviv market on Wednesday night as a "cowardly" and "horrific" act of terror.Hillary Clinton Condemns ‘Heinous Terrorist Attack’ in Tel Aviv
A statement issued by the State Department said that US officials are in touch with Israeli authorities to express "support and concern."
"The United States condemns today’s horrific terrorist attack in Tel Aviv in the strongest possible terms," the statement reads. "We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and our hopes for a quick recovery for those wounded. These cowardly attacks against innocent civilians can never be justified."
Presumptive Democratic US presidential nominee Hillary Clinton condemned a deadly attack on Wednesday at a popular shopping and restaurant area in Tel Aviv. Clinton reiterated her support of Israel’s right to defend itself.Arab MKs condemn terror attack - but blame Israeli government
Four people were killed and six others were wounded in the attack, after two Palestinians dressed in suit and tie and posing as customers at a restaurant, pulled out weapons and opened fire on passersby.
Arab MKs from the anti-Zionist Joint List party released a statement Thursday morning condemning the deadly terror attack Wednesday evening in a restaurant in Tel Aviv’s Sarona Market.Tel Aviv mayor blames terror attack on 'occupation'
But alongside their condemnations, Joint List MKs also blasted the Israeli government for instigating the ‘cycle of violence’.
Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh issued a statement Thursday which read:
“I condemn and [am] hurt by the terrible assault on civilians. My heart goes out to the families. Attacks on the innocent are always wrong, and there can be no justification for shooting civilians in the street.”
“This government has only brought a deepening of hatred and violence. We must completely remove Palestinian and Israeli civilians from the cycle of hate and blood. We must struggle together in a just way to bring an end to the occupation and to bring justice and peace for the two peoples.”
MK Dov Henin, the Joint List’s sole Jewish representative, issued a similar statement both condemning the terror attack as well as the “cycle of violence”.
Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai spoke to Army Radio on Thursday regarding Wednesday’s deadly terror attack at the Sarona Market in the center of Tel Aviv.Egyptian journalist condemns Tel Aviv terror: 'What's heroic about shooting people?'
During the interview, Huldai linked the terror attack to what he referred to as “the occupation” – Israel’s liberation of eastern Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria in June 1967.
Huldai addressed the public celebrations in the Palestinian Authority following the terror attack, saying:
“We, as a state, are the only ones in the world with another people living among us under our occupation, denying them any civil rights.”
“The problem is that when there is no terrorism, no one talks about [the occupation],” claimed Huldai. “Nobody has the guts to take a step towards trying to make some kind of [final status] arrangement. We are 49 years into an occupation that I was a participant in, and I recognize the reality and know that leaders with courage just say things.”
“We need to show to our neighbors that we really intend to return to reality, to a Jewish state that is smaller but that has a solid Jewish majority.”
Huldai also appeared to show understanding for the spontaneous celebrations taking place in some Arab towns after the attack.
Egyptian journalist and former presidential candidate Bothaina Kamel condemned the Tel Aviv shooting at the Sarona complex on Wednesday, saying "What's heroic about entering a restaurant and shooting people who are dining there?"PreOccupiedTerritory: Report: Visiting Site Of Attack Not Cynical If Left Does It (satire)
The series of tweets, translated by MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute), criticized those in the Arab world who praised the attack on social media.
Kamel's tweets sparked outrage on Twitter among Arab speaking Twitter users, who claimed that the attack against Israeli civilians was in response to Israel's policies of "occupation", "expelling of people from their homeland" and "starving of men, woman and children."
Kamel replied that while those were indeed "great crimes," she added that "responding to one crime with another does not mean that the [one who responded] did not perpetrate a crime."
"Sadly, the weapons mafia is leading the world, and mankind is paying the price. There is no choice but to end this cycle of evil," she wrote in a final tweet.
A new study published today in a scientific journal indicates that when right-wing politicians visit the site of a terrorist attack and make pronouncements, that involves a cynical exploitation of emotions for political purposes, but when the same activity is performed by politicians toward the other end of the spectrum, it is an act of noble solidarity and resolve.Honest Reporting: The Media Must Cover Celebrations of Palestinian Terror: Agree?
The latest issue of the journal Politics features research that study authors say proves different motivations behind otherwise identical behaviors by Israeli political figures, as manifest in whether the figure in question expresses left-wing or right-wing views.
According to the study, if, for example, a terrorist shooting attack takes place on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, and a right-wing politician such as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu then pays a visit to the site of the incident, the visit constitutes unacceptable exploitation of a tragedy for political gain, and might also be racist if the attack was perpetrated by an Arab. Conversely, if a left-wing politician visits the site of, for example, an upscale market where two terrorists shot up a chocolate shop cafe, the move takes on the character of a welcome condolence call and a show of determination and encouragement for the neighborhood, city, and country.
“This research demonstrates what certain public figures have been claiming for some time,” said lead author Shelly Yechimovich. “Now we know that the cynical exploitation is a function of someone being on the wrong part of the political spectrum, but if one agrees with, for example, the center-left, then one’s visit to the site of a tragedy is an act of support and warmth.”
PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME IF YOU AGREE THAT THE MEDIA MUST REPORT PALESTINIAN CELEBRATIONS OF TERRORTel Aviv Market Terror Attack: Media Mess Ups
After Palestinian terrorists murdered four people in an attack in a popular Tel Aviv shopping center, many Palestinians were seen celebrating in the streets. Hamas called the murders a “heroic” operation and Fatah blamed Israel. Palestinians were seen handing out candy in celebration of the slaughter of innocent people.
The glorification and promotion of terrorism by the Palestinians is a critical component of the story that the media have an obligation to cover. While many in the media prefer to blame Israel for the current situation, it is the open embrace of terrorism that prevents peace more than anything else.
If you agree, please add your name to this call for the media to cover the whole story.
A deadly Palestinian terror attack in Tel Aviv’s busy Sarona market on Wednesday night has resulted in at least four deaths and several serious injuries.CNN comes under fire for botching Tel Aviv shooting report
Here’s a first look at some of the media mess ups in the initial aftermath of the attack.
IT COULDN’T POSSIBLY BE PALESTINIANS COULD IT?
Having quoted Israeli police and eyewitnesses describing a terrorist attack, the BBC still couldn’t figure out who might be responsible.
Could there possibly be a link between this attack and those from the past several months that have been perpetrated by Palestinians?
CNN came under fire Wednesday for misreporting on the shooting attack at the Sarona Market in central Tel Aviv that left four Israelis dead and seven others wounded.Yahoo News, Russia Today, Misreport Tel Aviv Terror Attack
The breaking news update on CNN's Twitter account presented the word "terrorists" in quotes, angering dozens of followers, who wondered why the news outlet would qualify its report, despite the clear nature of Wednesday's incident. The CNN tweet said: "Two 'terrorists' captured after Tel Aviv attack, Israeli police spokesman tweets."
"Take the quote marks off terrorists when that is exactly what they are! It's not a subjective noun or adjective; civilians murdered," one follower wrote.
"Tell your writers that those who open fire in an open market are terrorists," another said.
A third follower wrote, "This is the reason why no one trusts 'news' anymore." A fourth wondered, "Did the 'terrorist' 'murder' four 'innocent' people? What 'wonderful' reporters you have."
As we were posting an article noting Yahoo News's prior connections to radical hate sites, and its continued promotion of extreme and inaccurate anti-Israel propaganda, Palestinian terrorists opened fire outside a chocolate shop in a crowded area of Tel Aviv, leaving four Israelis dead.
After the attack, Yahoo News on Twitter gave the false impression that the "militant attack" targeted Israel's defense ministry:
Responsibility for that tweet might lie with AFP, whose breaking report, which Yahoo News linked to, used similar language. But while AFP has since updated its reporting to note that the shooting occurred at "a Tel Aviv bar and restaurant complex," Yahoo News seems to be sticking with the "Defense Ministry" spin. A subsequent tweet by the Yahoo account again described the attack as being "near Israel's defense ministry."
Honest Reporting: Dressed to Kill
Fairfax Media outlets the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age both republished a Washington Post article on the Tel Aviv terrorist attack with one of the worst headlines we have seen so far. They chose not to describe the terrorists as murderers, assailants, attackers, or even militants. No, they decided that the most accurate way to describe them was based on what they wore:
Honest Reporting: IBT Unclear On Who Killed Who
The IBT leaves you in no doubt about who’s doing what regarding Israel revoking Palestinian travel permits, but in the same sentence leaves out the vital context to the attack which would explain why Israel decided to do that. With their reluctance to name Israelis as the targets and Palestinians as the shooters, the IBT has managed to make it seem as though Palestinians were killed in a shooting attack.Honest Reporting: NZ Herald’s Shocking Inversion of Morality
But the IBT knows exactly who carried out the attack though, as well as the Palestinian town they’re from, because the article goes on to report that Israel pulled work permits for the “gunmen’s relatives,” and closed off the “attackers’ [Palestinian] home town” [with the exception of humanitarian cases.] But when it comes to describing the attack itself, the IBT noncommittally says that the gunmen were “both thought to be Palestinians according to AP.”
The reality in Israel can be very complex, but with Palestinian terror attacks on innocent Israeli civilians, there is only one way to accurately report the news. Yet the media continue to mislead and misinform when they insist on going to great lengths to avoid portraying Israelis as victims and Palestinians as perpetrators.
The New Zealand Herald performed a startling inversion of morality today; casting hero as villain and terrorist as victim.
With the sensational headline, “Shocking footage – Israeli police shoot suspected terrorist”, readers were enticed into watching a brief snippet of video footage of an Israeli policeman shooting and ending with multiple uniformed men surveying a scene.
The article failed to mention that just prior to this, two Palestinian men dressed in suits and ties sat at a café before pulling out Carl Gustav-style guns and shooting, killing four people and hospitalising 18.
Honest Reporting: MSNBC Blames Israel for Getting Shot by Terrorists
In an on-air tirade that was nothing short of insane, MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin and Martin Fletcher excused the Palestinian terrorists who murdered four Israelis at a shopping mall yesterday, and blamed Israel instead.
Newsbusters was quick to pick up on the story, noting that both Mohyeldin and Fletcher ranted about Israel’s “right wing government” and about “Palestinian frustration,” even as the Palestinian terror organization Hamas announced more attacks to come, and Palestinians celebrated the murders with cheers, fireworks and apparently even cookies.
In reality, both of Mohyeldin and Fletcher’s claims are simplistic and incorrect: the makeup of any democratically elected government does not justify terrorism against that country’s people, meanwhile Hamas has stated clearly that this attack was due to false claims of Israeli violations at the Al Aqsa mosque, rather than “frustration” or the makeup of Israel’s government. Hamas has used this excuse for terrorism frequently in the past.
But more importantly, where in the world is it acceptable to blame terror victims for having been attacked? And why cover up the Palestinian joy over successfully committing murder? Is MSNBC really so eager to blame Israel?
Four Israelis killed in terror attack, but Metro reveals what’s really ‘shocking’
Last night, two West Bank Palestinians, Muhammad and Khalid Muhamra, walked into Tel Aviv’s Sorona Market and began firing their machine guns at innocent civilians at an eatery, killing 4 and injuring many more.BBC coverage of Sarona Market terror attack – part one
Palestinians in parts of the West Bank and Gaza celebrated the attack. Hamas described the assault on innocent civilians as “heroic”. Fatah, the party of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, justified the “operation” as an understandable reaction to the occupation.
Yet, editors of the print edition of the UK newspaper The Metro clearly has its pulse on what’s really ‘shocking’ about the entire incident – the “BLOODIED suspect”.
In addition to the troubling editorial decision to focus on the capture by Israeli police of one of the terrorists, the victims didn’t just “die” (as the headline suggests), but of course were killed by the terrorist in the photo. Additionally, their brief synopsis under the photo gets a key fact wrong. The claim that the terrorists were dressed as Orthodox Jews was debunked – in part by a video of the incident – shortly after initial rumours surfaced.
So few words, so much disinformation.
As information concerning the terror attack in Tel Aviv’s Sarona Market on the evening of June 8th came to light, the BBC News website updated its report on the incident numerous times over a period of some ten hours.PreOccupiedTerritory: Report: Israelis Killed In Shooting Allegedly Shopped, Dined First (satire)
The initial article was titled “‘Several wounded’ in Tel Aviv shooting”. None of the later amendments to the headline – made after circumstances became clearer – informed readers that the incident was a terror attack, with editors opting instead to use the ambiguous phrasing “shopping centre attack”.
The first three versions of the report made no mention of the word terror. Later versions included statements from the Tel Aviv chief of police, the Israeli prime minister and from eye witnesses which did include the word terror inside quotation marks but in all versions the BBC refrained from telling audiences in its own words that Palestinian terrorists had murdered and wounded civilians enjoying a night out in a café.
Police investigating this evening’s shooting attack in the downtown area of this city are reporting initial findings that indicate all nine of the Israelis killed or wounded in the incident may have been engaged beforehand in such suspicious activities as shopping, visiting cafes, attending a film, and texting loved ones, activities that threatened the Palestinians who felt compelled to open fire. Four Israelis were killed, and the Palestinian attackers, who were disguised as patrons of an upscale chocolate shop and cafe, were shot and arrested.
Tel Aviv District Commander Nissim Turjeman told reporters that preliminary evidence indicates that the nine, four of whom are in serious or critical condition at Ichilov Hospital, were engaged in the threatening behaviors immediately prior to being shot, perhaps offering a window into what prompted the shootings.
“Eyewitness accounts have the deceased and injured involved in such activities prior to the shooting as walking hand-in-hand with a significant other, discussing possible purchases, remarking on the weather, and wishing friends a pleasant evening,” Turjeman said at an impromptu press conference near the Sarona Market, site of the incident. “We are still piecing together many of the eyewitness reports, some of which, owing to the chaos of the scene, appear to contradict one another. It appears, however, that all of the victims of the shooting were engaged in the types of activity that, for understandable reasons, provoked the shooters.”
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