Daily Mirror (UK) silently deletes article blaming Israel for child death

I have previously discussed the case of Mahmoud Sadallah, the 4-year old boy whose the world media blamed on Israel - when in fact he was killed by a Hamas rocket.

One of the examples I gave was the Daily Mirror (UK), which showed a photos the grieving Egyptian prime minister Kandil cradling the head of the child, and had written "Egypt's Prime Minister wept today as he kissed the forehead of a boy killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza."

CNN and others made the same accusation, but they sort of retracted (reluctantly) when confronted with the facts.

The Daily Mirror did not, as far as I know.

So I was surprised to find out today that the link to that article is now broken, and cannot be found using the search engine on the Mirror website.

Instead of admitting the mistake, the Daily Mirror consigned the article to the proverbial "bit-bucket." It simply erased the article and pretended that it never made the mistake to begin with.

Puts your faith back into journalism, doesn't it?

It always amazes me that major, reputable media act with such immaturity when faced with their mistakes. They don't realize simple psychology: properly issuing corrections does not detract from their reputation, it enhances it.

The original CNN video with the same mistake is still online. Some 1350 people "Liked" it on Facebook. There is no indication that the report is based on a lie on that same page. People can Google it a decade from now and the lies that Sara Sidler spouted will still be there. CNN's retraction/clarification, as it were, is not even placed on the same page as the original video, where people can see the full picture. Instead, it was buried in paragraph 16 of an unrelated article. The impression that one gets isn't that CNN doesn't care about accuracy, its reputation is the driving force behind its correction policy and instead of doing proper fact-checking they instead try to minimize and hide their mistakes.

People understand that the news media can make mistakes.  But when the same media is seen trying to hide or bury those mistakes, they appear small and petty. The obfuscation is in some ways worse than the errors, because it shows that the outlets care more about their reputations than about the accuracy that they pretend is their primary goal.

I don't know which is worse - the Daily Mirror pretending that the mistake never happened, or CNN which buried its clarification but which still features the mistake in a video that people can watch in blissful ignorace on their site.

Either way, though, it explains why people increasingly do not trust the mainstream media and are relying more and more on alternative outlets, like blogs.

(h/t Emet)

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Friday links

From Ian:

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LATMA: The BBC lies and Israel defends itself



A Ceasefire Has Not Been Enacted on Israel’s Other Battlefield

"Anonymous bloggers like Elder of Ziyon, who from behind a computer screen, armed with nothing more than a sharp eye for falsehood and an abundance of common sense, forced retractions and corrections (albeit some half-heartedly) from such media giants as London’s Telegraph newspaper and CNN. The outlets had falsely reported as fact, Hamas’ claims that four year old Mahmoud Sadallah, who was famously pictured cradled in the hands of Egypt’s Prime Minister, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. In truth, as Elder proved, he was killed by a Hamas rocket that fell short, landing in Gaza.
Others include Challah Hu Akbar, who meticulously surveys reports of civilian casualties in Gaza for discrepancies and falsehoods, BBC watch, who embarrassed the British network’s Gaza correspondent, Jon Donnison, after he posted one of the false Syria images on Twitter. Other such troopers go by the names of Brian of London, Missing Peace, Emet, Carl in Jerusalem, Aussie Dave, Huff Watcher and Daled Amos. There are a number of increasingly tech savvy larger Jewish groups that are becoming more digitally active as well."

Media should use ceasefire to reflect on double standards By Richard Kemp

"Predictably enough, the media has been full of shrill accusations of indiscriminate Israeli air strikes and deliberate targeting of civilians. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Why Israel can't win this propaganda war

'Moral superiority', that’s the key to understanding the left’s support for Hamas
"Western Leftists don’t have to live with the consequences of their support for aggression in the Middle East. But the sad truth is that the Palestinians are paying a heavy price for their failure to face up to realpolitik."

Russia Today Continues its Anti-Israel Propaganda, Going Even Further Than Arab TV

“A notable example is Abby Martin, a presenter on RT, who has a long history of making incendiary anti-Israel comments on her program “Breaking the Set”. Her statements range from wild exaggerations to outright falsehoods. Some of these comments are so blatantly and almost embarrassingly false, with presenters making allegations that even Arab TV channels don’t make.”

BBC Watch Not enough Israelis killed by “home-made contraptions” for BBC’s Mishal Husain

Huffington Post Deletes Hamas Comment Praising Tel Aviv Bus Bomb From AP Story

Agence France-Presse perpetuates a Hamas lie

"AFP alone did not respond to direct calls to correct or otherwise address the egregious misinformation. AFP Jerusalem bureau chief Philippe Agret and photo editor Marco Longari did not lift a finger to correct the record even when they were informed that the Telegraph reported that “experts from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights who visited the site on Saturday said they believed that the explosion was caused by a Palestinian rocket.”

Israeli Reservist Injured in Wednesday Attack Dies From his Wounds

The reservist who was injured Wednesday by rocket fire in the Eshkol Regional Council area has died.
28-year-old Lieutenant Boris Yarmolnik died Thursday from his wounds at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

Tel Aviv terror attack victims speak

For first time since 2002, Tel Aviv rocked by bus bombing which injured 28; driver: 'I was sure it was a rocket hit'
Blast, smoke and anxiety – 28 people were injured in a terror attack in Tel Aviv on Wednesday when a massive blast ripped through a bus near the Kirya army compound. As three of the injured went into surgery, others recounted the moments of horror as they witnessed the first explosion on a Tel Aviv bus since 2002.

Israel Vs. Hamas Is Civilization Vs. Savagery

"Hamas' al-Aqsa TV, run by a Palestinian parliament member, is already notorious, encouraging children to become terrorists, as when it depicted a 4-year-old girl holding an explosive, singing of killing Israeli soldiers as a suicide bomber. On Wednesday, the channel's news reader prayed "to Allah the exalted that we see body bags in a short while" and joyfully reported that "the morale of Gaza residents is in the sky right now."
As Chaim Weizmann, Israel's first president, wrote over 60 years ago, "The real opponents of Zionism can never be placated by any diplomatic formula: Their objection to the Jews is that the Jews exist, and in this particular case, that they exist in Palestine."

FM: Israel will eventually need to overthrow Hamas

Liberman tells Channel 2 that launching IDF ground operation to occupy Gaza and overthrow Hamas regime would take 4 months.

In CNN interview professing a desire for peace, Mashaal asks, ‘How can I accept Israel? They have occupied my land’
After 8-day conflict that saw hundreds of rockets fired into Israel, Hamas leader claims his group does not target civilians

Hamas: We do not support Abbas's statehood bid By Khaled Abu Toameh
Denial comes shortly after Abbas's office says Haniyeh expressed support for effort to upgrade to non-member state.

Gaza leader Haniyeh thanks Iran for helping make Israel ‘scream with pain’
Hamas PM tells delirious crowds ‘the idea of attacking Gaza is gone,’ a day after ceasefire is agreed

PMW: Hamas song - death to Israel
A day after Hamas-Israel ceasefire following Hamas-Israel conflict

For third time, Lebanese army disarms rocket aimed at Israel
Soldiers defuse missile a day after two were fired but failed to reach Israeli territory

Gaza ceasefire: Hamas's celebrations mask major defeat

"Hamas has lost key generals, international support, used up a huge quantity of its weapons, lost key infrastructure, and helped give Israel the international support it needs for a ground operation in Gaza if Hamas misbehaves.
In addition, Israel's Iron Dome has proven very successful, and the US has agreed to supply more, making Hamas's weapons of choice increasingly less effective as the days go by. Hamas has also probably not delighted its Iranian masters either, as this conflict has brought Israel and the US closer than it has been since Obama took office – good news for Israel, but bad news for Iran as the US-Israeli divide was primarily over Iran in the first place.
In fact, other than a possible improvement in support from Palestinians and some bragging rights in questionable circles, it is hard to see what, if anything, Hamas got out of the past week."

The (real) new Middle East By Danny Danon
Only by staying true to our principles and meeting the terrorist aggression with decisive action can we hope to assure true safety and security for the citizens of Israel.

Venezuela: Dozens attack synagogue over Gaza conflict
Demonstrators hurl fireworks into building, shout anti-Israel slogan

Argentine govt. slams violence at anti-Israel rally in Buenos Aires

Jewish pupils attacked outside school in Paris suburb
Faculty report two attacks and one break-in in space of 48 hours

Italians hold speech rally for Israel
Italian MP Fiamma Nirenstein organizes a “speaking marathon” to support Israel in front of parliament in Rome.

‘Where’s my wife?’ Electronic SMS tracker notifies Saudi husbands

"Denied the right to travel without consent from their male guardians and banned from driving, women in Saudi Arabia are now monitored by an electronic system that tracks any cross-border movements.
Since last week, Saudi women’s male guardians began receiving text messages on their phones informing them when women under their custody leave the country, even if they are travelling together."

The eye in the sky, invented by the Israel Police
700 people work for the department’s Technology Administration, and they have developed some innovative tech — which is shared, for free, with departments around the world

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How easy is it for a PalArab to lie on CNN?

This morning, after the incident on the Gaza border, CNN interviewed Diana Buttu, former PLO spokesperson.

See how she avoids answering anything, and how she lies with impunity without the interviewer making even a half-hearted attempt to blow holes in her statements:

0:19 - "The young man who was killed today was actually a farmer, who was trying to go farm his fields. There is absolutely no evidence that this was a demonstration,..."

She says this while the video is showing a demonstration! And Ma'an adds:

A relative of the dead man, who was at the scene, told Reuters that Qudaih had been trying to place a Hamas flag on the fence. He added that an Israeli soldier had fired into the air three times before Qdeih was hit in the head by a bullet.

So he was not only demonstrating - he was right at the fence and ignoring warning shots while apparently climbing it!

When asked about the bus bombing in Tel Aviv, rather than condemn it, Buttu says:

 0:51 - "Well, the incident regarding the bus occurred before the cease-fire took place - Look, I think we have to put this in its proper perspective..."

and then going on about how it is all about the "occupation." The implication is that a bus bombing is a legitimate act of war.


She then goes on to say that violence is inevitable for people under "oppression" - in other words, saying that Mahmoud Abbas' calls for "popular resistance" is simply not going to work, and Palestinian Arabs will always resort to violence. Again, the interviewer didn't press her on this matter, asking her if she felt this was their right, or what she thought about the bus bombing or the rocket fire on civilians.

She then completely ignored a decent question about whether an Islamist political takeover of the Palestinian Arabs was inevitable, answering with a terse "no" without explanation and then went back to her playbook of pretending that Israel was the only one to benefit from the Fatah-Hamas split and of course that they were using it to build new settlements - something that hasn't been done in, oh, about a decade - and somehow ethnically cleansing Arabs:

"getting rid of as many Palestinians as possible."

Again, no pushback from the host on this obvious lie.

And then Buttu goes on to say that negotiations are not ever going to work, and that the only path to peace is by having the world pressure Israel and support her murderous cousins who just terrorized a couple of million Israelis.

Gee, thanks, CNN, for allowing a propagandist liar to spew forth for three minutes without a single challenge. Great work.

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Cruel IDF bombed a peaceful (dual-use) soccer stadium.

Here is what Gaza's soccer stadium used to look like, with the Pepsi brand prominently displayed:

Here is what Gaza's soccer stadium looks like today:

How cruel!

Except for this:

And it wasn't only a launching pad for long-range rockets, but also a weapons cache.

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All hell breaking loose in Egypt

Egypt's President Morsi decided to become a little more dictatorial:

President Mohamed Morsy has often celebrated the fact that he has seldom used his legislative powers, using that fact as an index of his care not to abuse his expansive authorities.

But a new constitutional declaration issued on Thursday night actually harnesses more power for Morsy, which he says he is trying to avoid.

The seven-article declaration renders the president's decrees and laws immune from appeal or cancellation. It also protects both the Shura Council and the Islamist-dominated Constituent Assembly from dissolution by any judicial authority, and further protects the assembly by extending its mandate to draft the constitution to eight months instead of six, as stipulated in an earlier constitutional declaration. Two cases against the Shura Council and the Constituent Assembly are currently awaiting a court ruling, but those cases will now be voided by the declaration.

The new constitutional declaration also gives immunity to all decisions and decrees issued by Morsy since he took office on 30 June and until the ratification of a new constitution, thus protecting those decisions from judicial or any other type of revision.

Further, Morsy granted himself the exclusive right to take any measures he sees fit to protect the country's national unity, national security and the revolution.

Sounds pretty absolute, doesn't it? And it cannot be a coincidence that Morsi decided to announce this right after being praised by the US for his role in brokering a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

Secular Egyptians aren't being fooled so easily.

In Alexandria:

Quarrels between opponents and supporters of President Mohamed Morsy escalated into violent clashes in Alexandria on Friday afternoon.

Eyewitnesses told Al-Masry Al-Youm that 15 were injured in the clashes as both sides hurled stones at each other, and at least five cars were smashed in the course of the violence. The confrontations led to a brief halt in traffic on the Alexandria Corniche.

Anti-Morsy protesters are gained control of the area in front of the Al-Qaed Ibrahim Mosque, while Morsy’s supporters have pulled back, the witnesses added.

Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr reported that anti-Morsy supporters had stormed the office of Freedom and Justice Party at the area and set it ablaze.

And in Cairo:

Thousands of protesters marching from various points in the city are converging on Tahrir Square Friday afternoon, chanting slogans such as "Down with the Supreme Guide," "Wake up Morsy, it's your last day," and the popular "The people demand the fall of the regime," eyewitnesses report.

A march of dozens coming came from Estiqama Mosque in Giza Square after Friday prayers. The march included April 6 Youth Movement, Popular Current and Constitution Party members. Each movement raised its flag while others raised the Egyptian flag. The protesters also held banners denouncing the Muslim Brotherhood and its intervention in the state policy, as well as banners rejecting yesterday’s constitutional declaration.

Another march from Nour Mosque in Abbasseya that includes dozens of opponents to Morsy's decisions, including April 6 activists, is also headed to Tahrir.

The protesters held symbolic coffins wrapped in Egyptian flags and white flags that read "martyr."

They chanted "The people want to bring the president down" and "A second revolution anew."

The protesters arrival in Tahrir comes about an hour after Islamist supporters of President Mohamed Morsy came out in the tens to demonstrate against the Constitution Party’s anti-Morsy protest march from the Fatah Mosque in Ramses Square.

The two groups engaged in verbal sparring matches, shouting slogans at each other after the Friday prayers ended. Constitution Party protesters immediately left.

The problem is that the pro-Islamist groups can easily summon far more people at any protest any time they want. The parliamentary elections made that clear - the masses in Egypt are not pro-secular, and an Islamist government that veers towards totalitarianism is not considered a problem as long as Islamic law is the driving force behind it.

Will the US respond to this naked anti-democratic power play by Morsi, or will the billions continue to flow to Egypt?

There is nothing to be optimistic about here.

See also Barry Rubin for his usual spot-on analysis that does not conform to the sunny thinking of the conventional wisdom.

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EoZ now ranked #1 world political blog at Technorati

Wow:

In your FACE, Foreign Policy and CNN!

Seriously, no one really understands the Technorati algorithms for ranking. Here is how they define it:

Technorati Authority measures a site's standing and influence in the blogosphere.

Authority is calculated based on a site’s linking behavior, categorization and other associated data over a short, finite period of time. A site’s authority may rapidly rise and fall depending on what the blogosphere is discussing at the moment, and how often a site produces content being referenced by other sites.

Topical Authority measures a blog’s influence within its subject category. Blogs will appear ranked by topical authority within Technorati’s blog directory. Factors include linking behavior from blogs and posts in the same category, how well a blog's overall content matches the category in question, and other associated data. It’s possible for a blog to have authority in several different categories. The authority in each category may be different.

I've previously seen my rankings go as high as #4. For the past couple of years I have been in their top ten more often than not, but I've seen my ranking fall into the 40s as well.

Technorati ranks some 18,000 blogs in that category.

I won't let it get to my head, but for now I have bragging rights to all my pseudonymous friends. Either that, or I have to make a virtual kiddush; the protocol is not really clear.

(My ranking in general politics has also skyrocketed, to #6.)

(h/t Yerushalimey)

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Two more of the fake PCHR "civilians"

From PCHR:

At approximately 09:40, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a group of Palestinian civilians near Abdullah Bin Rawaha Mosque in Maan area in the east of Khan Yunis. 2 civilians were killed: Abdullah Harb Salem Abu Khater, 21; and Mahmoud Saeed Abu Khater, 34.

The PalDF Hamas forum refers to Mahmoud Saeed Abu Khater, whose day job was apparently as a teacher, as a "mujahid."

His brother, Abdullah, was a member of Hamas as well:

It looks like they were not innocent civilians just standing around, but specific targets because of their terror ties.

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Israelis saving the world, again: Biological "pacemakers"

It's been too long since I did one of these...from The Telegraph:

Scientists have grown fully functional heart muscles by reprogramming stem cells and skin cells from patients. They found that these reprogrammed cells can “reset” the rhythm of any unhealthy heart tissue that is placed around them.

The researchers believe that patients suffering from irregular or slow heart beats could be treated with an injection of new heart cells grown from stem cells to create a “biological pacemaker” that will regulate their heartbeat.

Currently patients who have suffered heart attacks that cause their heart to pump out of sync or who suffer from irregular heartbeats have to undergo surgery where a battery powered pacemaker is fitted to control the organ’s rhythm.

Dr Oren Caspi, from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology who has been carrying out the research, said the heart cells they had created appeared to behave like young, healthy heart tissue found in new born babies.

He said: “We found that the electrical signal from the heart cells we created synchronised the beat of any surrounding heart tissue.

“We have seen this happen in dishes in the laboratory and in animal models. When we integrated the cells into the hearts of pigs, they were paced by the cells that were injected.

“It seems that the cells that beat fastest control the pace, so it could be used to replace artificial pacemakers for people with slow or irregular heartbeats.”

Dr Caspi and his colleague Professor Lior Gepstein earlier this year became the first scientists in the world to generate beating heart cells by reprogramming skin cells taken from patients.

They converted the adult skin into a type of cell known as induced pluripotent stem cells, which have the potential to develop into any tissue found in the body. By altering the conditions they were grown in, the cells then developed into fully functioning heart cells.

The researchers believe it will be possible to use skin cells from patients to create injectable biological pacemakers – reducing the risk of them being rejected by the patients body.

They are now working with clinical heart specialists in a bid to trial the treatment in human patients.

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Thursday links

From Ian:

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Operation Pillar of Defense: Summary of Events

During the next eight days, the IDF targeted more than 1,500 terror sites across the Gaza Strip. The sites that were targeted were positively identified by precise intelligence over the course of several months, including:

More Statistics: Ceasefire Agreement Comes Into Effect

Soldier killed by Gazan shell buried in Jerusalem
Eighteen-year-old Cpl. Yosef Fartuk, son of haredi family, always wanted to serve state.

Hamas’s Triple War Crimes

"It is actually a triple war crime, because the use of civilians as shields is intended not simply for protection of the terrorists, but to ensure that Palestinian civilians are killed — to produce the response from the UN, the New York Times, and others in the “international community” necessary to win the media war that is conducted alongside the military one."

On Gaza Body Counts and the Numbers Game

A double standard between Israel and Gaza, Israel and the world
Here was the line:
"Israel has a vastly more capable military than Hamas, and its air campaign has resulted in a lopsided casualty count: three Israelis have been killed."
And here was JG’s response:
"Whenever I read a statement like this, I wonder if the person writing it believes that there is a large moral difference between attempted murder and successfully completed murder."

Alan Dershowitz: Why a Cease Fire Will Not Last

"The only solution to this recurring problem is for the international community and the media, once and for all, to expose the Hamas strategy, to condemn it, and to deny Hamas the diplomatic and media victory it seeks to achieve by its double war crimes."

Until the next time By David Horovitz
Israel achieved successes in Pillar of Defense. The worry is that Hamas achieved more

"The intelligence aspect of Israel’s strikes has shaken Hamas, no matter how swaggering its bravado. To lose your chief of staff, Jabari, on day one of a mini-war exposes a massive intelligence vulnerability. To see many of your key long-range missile locations pinpointed and targeted underlines the extent to which Israel has penetrated Hamas’s command and communications networks."

Greens party in a dubious alliance
A SENIOR Labor MP (Australia) has accused the Greens of supporting "gay-hanging, women-hating" terrorists by failing to condemn Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel.

Giving the Greens a rocket

"Next question: If Gaza is the ``world’s biggest outdoor prison’’, strangled by a blockade so severe that Palestinians are left, as activists such as Professor Juan Cole like to claim, desperately short of food and medicine, why would Hamas be smuggling in rockets instead?Strange priorities, especially when rockets are not weapons of self-defence but of offence. Of terror. Which, of course, is the stock in trade of Hamas, pledged to Israel’s destruction.

Media Comment: Irresponsibility even in war
Why do so many readers continue to support media outlets proven to be consistently unethical with unfair and biased toward Israel?

"As reported originally by blogger Elder of Ziyon, in breaking news, the BBC showed a “wounded” Gazan civilian being removed by stretcher following an Israeli attack. The headline was: “Hamas military: Attack opens the gates of hell.” Yet 30 minutes later a clip shows the same person walking about freely. As a result, CNN corrected its report on this incident."

CIF Watch: Guardian claims Hamas scored political points from photo of Egypt PM cradling dead baby

"It is worth noting that the Guardian is once again suggesting that Hamas, unlike the “craven” Palestinian leaders in Fatah, is more deserving of our moral sympathy, more justified in claiming the mantle of the authentic Palestinian resistance movement. Further, the picture of the Egyptian prime minister clutching a dead Gazan child, which the Guardian is referring to, is an incident which was revealed (by EOZ) to be a fraud."

BBC Watch: Terror in Tel Aviv: scare quotes at the BBC.
Note the wording of the report’s synopsis as it appears on the website: [emphasis added]

“At least 10 people have been injured in an explosion on a bus in Israel’s commercial capital, Tel Aviv, in what one Israeli official described as a “terrorist attack”. “

Minutes after Tel Aviv terror attack, Glenn Greenwald praises Seumas Milne’s defense of ‘armed resistance’

Honest Reporting: Airstrike on Aleppo Hospital While World Watched Gaza
Now that the foreign press corps in Israel and Gaza have set the bar on concern for civilian casualties, will we see a similar level of righteous indignation at Syria?

Ankara wants NATO Patriot missiles to help contain Syrian fighting
Organization, seeking to stay out of conflict, may deploy arms to protect Turkey

Al-Jazeera offices in Tahrir Square firebombed, gutted
Incident comes on third day of conflict between protesters and security forces in Cairo

Amnesty UK official in hot water over Jewish MPs tweet

Kristyan Benedict tweets joke suggesting three Jewish MPs support bombardment of Gaza; Amnesty UK launches ‘confidential’ disciplinary process; official’s private Twitter feed includes strong anti-Israel views
On Tuesday, during a parliamentary discussion on violence in Syria and in Gaza, Benedict tweeted, “Louise Ellman, Robert Halfon and Luciana Berger walk into a bar… each orders a round of B52s… #Gaza.”

NGO Monitor: NGO Warfare Update: Amnesty Launches Frontal Attacks

"On November 19, Amnesty launched a direct assault on Israel’s right to self-defense, calling on the UN Security Council to impose an “international arms embargo on Israel, Hamas, and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.” (plus more offensive Amnesty tweets)"

The Vatican on Gaza: Israel is a Baby-Killer”
Not a word was heard from the Vatican all the years Sderot babies were in mortal danger. They began noticing the violence last week.

'Iran is hauling dirt to site IAEA wants to inspect'
Western diplomats: Satellite images reinforce suspicions Tehran is trying to hide illicit nuclear activity at Parchin plant.

Even as Rockets Rain Down, Israeli Economic Strength Recognized
NEW YORK—On Nov. 20, for the sixth consecutive year, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) recognized the innovative technology and business acumen that characterizes the Jewish state at its “Israel Day.”

Diaspora kids reach out to Israeli students under fire
A school twinning program sponsored by the Jewish Agency lets schoolchildren from abroad express solidarity with their counterparts in Israel

Israeli Kids Learn Song To Overcome Fear Of Rockets

IDF band’s European tour takes nasty turn during Gaza operation
A bomb threat and chants of ‘Jews to the gas’ provide the low points of young musicians’ annual concert series

“The audience, which had paid $15 for tickets and donated thousands more to aid Israelis under fire from Hamas, showered the players with affection.
"During a pause in the performance, a YouTube clip by Dr. Elisheva Ronen, a Dutch-born pediatrician who lives in Ashkelon, was projected on a screen. In the clip, which has become a Facebook hit, Ronen filmed rockets falling near her home as sirens wailed in the background. Ronen then took the stage and, choking back emotion, thanked the audience members for their prayers."

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The legal basis for Israel's attack on the media buildings in Gaza (NGO Monitor)

Here is an important article from NGO Monitor that explains not only why Israel had the legal right to perform limited, targeted attacks against terrorists and terrorist communication infrastructure, but also exposes the one-sided and incorrect accusations by NGOs against Israel.

• On November 18, the Israeli army targeted Hamas’ operational communications arrays and antennas on the roof of two buildings -- the Shawa Hussari and Al Shourouq towers. A number of foreign media outlet offices were located on the lower floors of the Al Shourouq tower. (Hamas has systematically placed strategic infrastructure and weapons close to or within civilian buildings.)
• Many political advocacy NGOs active in the Durban strategy, including false accusations during the 2008-09 Gaza conflict, immediately accused Israel of deliberately targeting journalists and the foreign media. As in the past, these statements provided highly incomplete factual information, lacked context, and made allegations of “war crimes” and other legal claims without any evidence. 
• The NGOs incorrectly declare that Israel acted unlawfully -- simply because the buildings contained civilians. Under international humanitarian law, if civilian objects are being used for military objectives, they are indeed legitimate targets (attacks must comply with the rules of proportionality). This is particularly the case where combatants are exploiting those objects for cover,as Islamic Jihad members have.
• None of these NGOs acknowledges that Al Aqsa and Al Quds TV are an integral part of the Hamas military structure; that Al Aqsa is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist; that channels are used by Hamas to transmit threats to the Israeli civilian population; that they are used to incite genocide and war crimes on the civilian population of Israel; that they are used to indoctrinate and recruit child soldiers.
• Adalah and Al Mezan falsely claimed that Israel was intending to “demolish the ‘Al-Shoroq Tower’.”  The building was not demolished; rather, the IDF issued statements that it was targeting installations on the roof of the building, and based on video footage from the strikes, that is exactly what the IDF did.

• Reporters without Borders claimed that “these attacks constitute obstruction of freedom of information,” but, as mentioned, there is no protection under international law for Hamas to engage in incitement to violence or hate speech.
• The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), funded by European governments, accused Israel of “a systematic crime to silence the press and prevent journalists from reporting on the crimes that are being committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.”  This claim is wildly incongruous with the reality of hundreds of media stories, blog posts, tweets, and other reports emanating from Gaza.
• HRW’s Executive Director, Ken Roth, characterized these news outlets simply as “pro-Palestinian.” The failure to provide the full context is highly deceptive and immoral.
• None of the NGOs involved in this campaign possesses the expertise to determine whether a military action was “indiscriminate.”  To make such claims, they would need access to IDF military intelligence; specific information known to the IDF commanders prior to the strikes, as well as their intentions; knowledge of how the targets fit into the overall war effort; location of Hamas installations, combatants, and weapons; among many other factors.

Read the whole thing.

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A postscript about Israel's super-morality

I reported on Tuesday that Islamic Jihad boasted of targeting the Kerem Shalom crossing, where most critical medical aid and supplies are sent to Gaza. They even showed video of the attack.

Israel did indeed shut down Kerem Shalom in order to protect the lives of the people that work there. And anyone could understand if would have shrugged and said it is no longer their problem to provide aid to people so dedicated to hate and addicted to death. There's only so much one can do to help your enemy, right? Let Egypt, Hamas' friend, take care of that.

Yet the IDF did manage to get aid through. As COGAT notes:

This afternoon (Wednesday) 5 trucks carrying medical equipment entered Gaza via the Erez crossing.

This was during some of the heaviest rocket barrages of the conflict.

The Erez crossing is not built for major truck deliveries, but Israel went out of its way anyway in order to allow the aid to get to Gaza however it could.

Has this ever happened in the history of wartime? (Besides, of course, the daily cease-fires during Cast Lead - which Hamas never respected - in order for Israel to send food and aid to Gaza.)

Egypt, Gaza's friend, was pretending to send in token medical aid along with lots of human shields and wannabe jihadists.

Anyone who actually thinks that Israel's morality is somehow comparable to - or worse than - that of its neighbors, doesn't even have a passing relationship with reality.

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The twenty letters Israel sent to the UN - to avoid war

UN Watch has a must read:

On at least 20 separate occasions this year, the Israeli government appealed to the UN to take action against Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, in letters sent to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of the Security Council.

In the letters, Israel informed the United Nations about repeated instances of rockets fired from Gaza against Israeli civilians, and urged the U.N., at a minimum, to speak out and condemn the attacks.

“Inaction today could help ignite an escalation of conflict tomorrow,” Israel warned the UN, while exercising astonishing measures of restraint that no other country facing a similar onslaught of rockets has ever shown.

Yet we are unaware of any UN action whatsoever taken in response.

The world media, human rights organizations and the UN yawns when Israel is under attack. But when Israel finally gets fed up, they pretend that it all happened in a vacuum.

Highlights of the letters:

January 6:

The situation in Gaza must be addressed with the utmost seriousness. Day after day, international law is flagrantly violated by the terrorists that operate with impunity in Gaza. In letter after letter, Israel has warned the international community about the dangerous potential for escalation. Yet, we still hear no words of condemnation from the Security Council. There has been no concerted effort inthe international community to halt the fire of rockets into Israeli cities.

All responsible members of the international community have a duty to clearly and unequivocally condemn these attacks. The world must act now to prevent terrorism in Gaza from sparking even greater turmoil and conflict in the Middle East.

January 31:

I write yet again to express Israel’s serious concern about the rockets flying out of the Gaza Strip day after day into our homes, cities and communities. It is clear that these acts of terrorism could ignite an escalation of conflict in our already volatile region. Unfortunately, some members of the Security Council continue to turn a blind eye to the serious dangers posed by these attacks.

March 8:

Reminder: One million civilians in southern Israel remain under fire.
– In the past seven days, seven rockets have exploded in Israeli communities.
– Not one word of condemnation has been issued by the Security Council, to
date.
– No responsible Government can tolerate the unabated targeting of its citizens.

Caution: Inaction today will bring instability tomorrow.

June 25:

• Since my last letter four days ago (S/2012/472 of 21 June 2012) 87 more rockets were fired into Israeli communities.
• We see the same reality, month after month: as aid flows into Gaza, rockets fly out.
• The Security Council has not uttered a single syllable about this appalling terrorism.

Caution: The Security Council’s decision to stay mute could have grave  consequences.
Inaction today could help ignite an escalation of conflict tomorrow.

October 11:

Last week, the Security Council showcased unprecedented efficiency when rockets were fired in the direction of another country in the Middle East — and rightly so. This is the Council’s responsibility.

Meanwhile the Security Council has slept through more then 12,000 rocket attacks against Israelis over the past decade. We applaud the Council’s condemnation last week — and expect the Council to act with the same speed and conviction to condemn the rocket fire targeting 1 million Israeli civilians.

November 12:

The serious danger of an even greater escalation hangs over our very volatile region. Many Israeli civilians and soldiers have been injured. Damage to property has been significant. One million people in Southern Israel remain under grave threat. The people of Israel cannot – and will not – tolerate these acts of terrorism. The Israeli government has a right and a duty to protect its citizens.

Israel holds Hamas fully responsible for all acts of terrorism flowing from Gaza. Israel’s leaders have been very clear: we are prepared to take all necessary measures to protect our citizens from Hamas terror. Those who target Israelis with terrorism today will pay a very heavy price tomorrow. Israel has exercised – and will continue to exercise – our right to self-defense.

At this critical moment, responsible members of the family of nations have an unmistakable duty. All Security Council members that truly value peace and security will send a very clear message to Hamas without delay. The time for the Security Council to condemn Hamas terrorism with one voice is now, before it is too late.

The Palestinian leadership also has a fundamental responsibility to clearly condemn Hamas terrorism. The silence that continues to echo from President Abbas’ office speaks volumes.

It isn't as if Israel didn't warn the world about what was happening.

The hypocrisy of the UN Security Council immediately condemning Syria's shelling of Turkey while ignoring thousands of rockets from Hamas says volumes.

(One slight correction: One of the letters UN Watch lists is actually about Hezbollah, not Gaza. Not that the UNSC issued any condemnation then, either.)

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How a Hamas website avoids denial of service attacks

During the past week, I noticed that the Hamas Al Qassam terror website added a feature to combat Distributed Denial of Service attacks (DDoS).

When going to the site, you see a five-second delay where the site is apparently checking to make sure that you are running a real browser and not a bot. Only after the check will it allow you to enter the site.

During those five seconds, we see the name of the anti-DDoS company that Hamas uses - CloudFlare.

It appears that CloudFlare is a US-based company.

Perhaps someone should see if this is legal. After all, Hamas is a US-designated terror organization, and the idea that a US company can help secure the Al Qassam Brigades seems to be not quite right.

And CloudFlare should answer why it decided to support a terror group.

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The first fake PCHR "civilian"

As EoZ readers know, after Cast Lead I led a team that identified hundreds of people who were called "civilians" by the Palestinian Center of Human Rights - but were in fact terrorists.

We scoured through official jihadist websites and forums to see which of these "civilians" were called "mujahadeen." We crosschecked obituaries published on Hamas and other terror group websites, often months later, against the PCHR list.

In short, we showed that PCHR was happy to lie in order to make it appear that the IDFwas targeting civilians.

Looks like we have our work cut out for us again:

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 17:45 on Tuesday, 20 November 2012, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at Hussam Mohammed Salama, 30, and Mahmoud Ali al-Koumi, 29, cameramen of the Gaza-based al-Aqsa Satellite Channel, while they were traveling in a civilian car clearly marked with ‘TV’.

Luckily, I just made a poster about Mr. Salama, along with a photo of the car where he had crudely spray-painted "TV."

As the IDF says:

A senior Hamas operative was targeted while driving a press vehicle. Muhammed Shamalah, commander of Hamas forces in the southern Strip and head of the Hamas militant training programs, was targeted by an Israeli air strike while driving a car clearly labelled “TV”, indicating it to be a press vehicle, abusing the protection afforded to journalists.

PCHR no doubt knows all of this, and they choose not to mention it. Even if they want to make the argument that Salama was not actively involved in combat - their normal argument when asked about the high number of terrorists that they call civilian - they show their dishonesty by not revealing the entire story, and instead saying as a fact:

These crimes are aimed to silence and the press and prevent journalists from reporting on crimes committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians.

In other words, PCHR is not just withholding information - it is knowingly lying.

This is why so-called "human rights" organizations cannot be assumed to tell the entire story. They have an agenda just like everyone else does, and they will hide information that does not fit that agenda. PCHR is just one very sorry example of this.

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Hamas' "victory" (Zvi)

From occasional EoZ contributor Zvi:

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So let me get this straight. They're saying, "we won because we picked a fight with Israel and Israel has better things to do than flatten Gaza."

That's a victory?

The terrorists and their sympathizers:

* lost a large percentage of their most advanced and long-range weapons
* lost experienced senior terrorist commanders from Hamas and PIJ
* did no damage at all to Israel's ability to fight a war
* only squeaked a small percentage of rockets past Iron Dome
* only received "moral support" from Islamists, Arab regimes, communist hold-overs and the Russians, who mostly did it because they are trying desperately to distract attention away from Syria.
* failed even to stop Israeli shipments of food and fuel into Gaza through Kerem Shalom
* exposed their use of hospitals and press facilities as military command posts
* highlighted in front of the international media the extent to which Israelis are under fire, and the extraordinary efforts that Israelis have taken to protect civilians, in contrast to Hamas' attacks on civilians
* came whining to the Egyptians for help in stopping an escalation that they started themselves, basically forcing the Egyptian government to underwrite an agreement with Israel
* executed some "collaborators" in public and had a nice little motorcycle parade for the cameras, embarrassing the Hamas leadership
* put Khaled Meshaal back in charge (apparently)
* attempted to surpass Baghdad Bob by continually making ludicrous claims that were subsequently disproved.
And now
* killed some of their own supporters while celebrating a nonexistent victory.
* committed a wide plethora of war crimes, many of which (storing explosives in civilian buildings, for example) resulted in the deaths of their own people.

Yes, they killed a handful of Israelis, mostly civilians and one an Arab. Yes, they caused a lot of damage, hurt a lot of people and wasted a lot of time. As much as I mourn for the innocents killed by the Gaza terrorists, and wish their families peace and strength, it is important to point out that while their losses are horrible tragedies for us, they achieve nothing real for people in Gaza.

So what exactly is Hamas celebrating?

I guess when Gazan terrorists can't achieve anything real, they celebrate pretend victories.

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