Originally the Washington Post reported Israeli troops raid aid flotilla headed for Gaza, killing nine and the New York Times reported Deadly Israeli Raid Draws Condemnation. Both articles seem reasonably accurate in hindsight.
Now Israel has released the results of Gen. Eiland’s investigation into the raid on the Mavi Marmara. Checking Yahoo! News yields the following headlines:
Israel military faulted over flotilla raid (AFP)
Israel report blames flawed planning for Gaza raid (AP)
Israel failed in ship interception planning: reports (Reuters)
It’s true that the report faulted the IDF for failing to prepare for contingencies, but the report also concluded that the soldiers who fired only did so in self-defense. So the New York Times, was technically correct with Israeli Military Finds Flotilla Killings Justified, but I think that “Israeli military found soldiers acted in self-defense” would have been less inflammatory. Ethan Bronner of the Times adds this:
The military’s investigation, carried out by eight officers, did not deal with larger policy issues like the legality or appropriateness of Israel’s blockade against Gaza or its takeover of the six-boat flotilla in international waters on May 31.
Should it have dealt with those things? This was an investigation into the operation. Furthermore the blockade is legal. Perhaps the Times wishes it were not so, but that’s an editorial judgment and doesn’t belong in a news story.
The Washington Post’s headline emphasized the operational failures, Israeli review finds fatal raid on Turkish ship lacked planning and alternatives
Like the New York Times, the Post, towards the end notes that the Israeli soldiers were fired upon:
The report concluded that four to six Israeli soldiers were fired on and that one of the wounded was shot in the knee by a non-Israeli-issued firearm, suggesting that the activists had brought at least one gun on board. The inquiry also found that passengers had cut off banisters from the ship to use as weapons against the soldiers.
Given the international outrage – which was very much part of the story from the beginning – isn’t the detail about the “demonstrators” having a firearm significant? If the Israeli soldiers acted appropriately, then, wasn’t that outrage misplaced?
Now will we hear of a Turkish inquiry as to how they allowed armed terrorists to sail towards a friendly country? Will there be a media investigation into how they amplified the outrage beyond all reason?
Daled Amos, Elder of Ziyon, Israeli Matzav and Fresno Zionism have more.
One more question. The IDF recently had another press conference: to reveal the extent of Hezbollah’s re-arming in violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701. How much coverage did that get? Not much:
The entire story is only four paragraphs long, and the omitted grafs don’t mention the civilian angle, either. So you have the AP releasing an article about IDF photos of Hezbollah weapons caches in civilian areas without a single mention of civilian areas. Because that’s what the AP is all about, passing along Hezbollah propaganda. I mean, news. What, you think I’m making this up? Well, the AP also passed along the information that Hezbollah was really ticked that CNN fired its Middle East editor after she tweeted her praise of Hezbolla’s spiritual leader. They whitewashed the anti-Israel (and pro-Hezbollah) background of the man behind the Lebanese flotilla that was heading for Gaza. Instead of writing the words “UN Security Council Resolution 1701,†AP refers to “A U.N. deal to end the 2006 war between Israel and the Shiite militants required Hezbollah to disarm.†A binding UN resolution becomes a deal. Non-binding General Assembly resolutions? Well, of course, Israel is in “violation†of those. (But I digress.)
But honestly passing along the news that Hezbollah is hiding weapons caches in civilian areas? Forget about it. That one’s gone. And it will stay gone, if Israel has to go into those villages and civilians die. Wait for it.
Israel conducts an investigation into its own actions: that merits a full spectrum of news coverage. Israel’s enemy violates a resolution of the UN and the media is remarkably incurious.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
There were many reports that weapons used by the Hamas supporters on this “love boat” were thrown overboard as the situation evolved into control by the IDF. I guess it would be too much for the left wing media to mention that that was the case!
OK, if everybody is so upset over Israel boarding a ship trying to break its blockade (as Israel is legally entitled to do with a blockade runner under international law) then there is a simple alternative. In future, if the blockade runners refuse to stop and be boarded and go into an Israel port for search for contraband, then Israel should just sink the ships. If the Israelis are feeling very mellow that day, they can rescue survivors. Considering that the people pushing these blockade runners are trying to enable Hamas’ goal of genocide of the Jews, they are guilty of helping to commit genocide, a crime under international law. I don’t think they would deserve rescue in such a case.