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New York Times goes full blood libel: Falsely accuses Israel of killing children

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by

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
in


New York Times goes full blood libel: Falsely accuses Israel of killing children

On Thursday, the New York Times published a front-page article under the headline “They were only children” featuring the pictures and names of the 66 Palestinian children killed in the recent hostilities. But a cursory inspection shows that the article was one of the worst pieces of journalism ever published.

Is Israel guilty of killing children?

“Israel’s critics cite the death toll as evidence that Israel’s strikes were indiscriminate and disproportionate,” the article stated.

 

The article also posted images of the Israeli children killed by Hamas rockets, implying that Israel was guilty of those as well.

The NYT failed to mention that nine of the children they listed as being killed on May 10 were proven by independent sources to have been killed by a Hamas rocket shortfall and at least two more were killed on the same day by a Hamas rocket. Another six children were killed in another Hamas rocket shortfall on the same day.

Sharp-eyed readers also noted at least one alleged victim, 6-year-old Rahat Masry, had already been listed in 2017 as being killed by the IDF. Masry’s photo was actually posted on a site of stock photos of “cute Muslim kids.”

 

Cancelling subscriptions

The NYT article was criticized by many. Abraham Foxman, the director emeritus of the Anti-Defamation League, tweeted on May 28 that he is canceling his NYT subscription, describing the article as a “blood libel.” His initiative was joined by Newsweek Deputy Opinion Editor Batya Ungar-Sargon replied to Foxman, “Me too” and Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Rabbi Abraham Cooper

 

Rabbi Cooper said the article was “libelous against the Jewish state and that they do it amidst a tsunami of antisemitic attacks by pro-Hamas forces across the United States… it’s beyond the pale.” He added that the Times has gone from “being the paper of record for the United States of America – the world’s greatest democracy – to becoming the newspaper of record for Hamas.”

If it isn’t fact; it is art

The NYT has been criticized for its coverage of the recent conflict. Conservative political pundit Ben Shapiro criticized the NYGT for its use of an anti-factual map of the region for the main image of an op-ed by a Palestinian writer. Shapiro noted that the image was so egregious that when it was first used by MSNBC in 2015, MSNBC “had to retract it and admit it was factually incorrect.”

 

The NYT responded that the image did not have to factually accurate as it was intended as “art”. 

 

Hamas rocket shortfalls killing Gaza’s children

It should be noted that all of the statistics concerning casualties in Gaza are provided by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The data provided by the Gaza Health Ministry is suspect and during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Hamas issued guidelines to Palestinians in Gaza to call anyone killed a “civilian,” regardless of whether they were actually a fighter.

A report by the media watchdog site CAMERA noted that there had been no reporting on the self-damage inflicted by Hamas.

“Hamas deliberately avoids distinguishing between combatants and civilians in the statistics it puts out to the foreign press,” CAMERA wrote. “It likewise attributes all casualties to Israeli actions, whether or not that is in fact the case.”

The story that few are reporting is that at least 680 of the low-tech rockets fired by the terrorists at Israel fell short, landing inside Gaza. Some estimates place the number of shortfalls as high as one-third. The shortfalls caused considerable damage, knocking out the power lines supplying Israeli electricity to more than 230,000 Gazans. In order to continue its terrorist operations, Hamas disabled Gaza City’s desalination plant, cutting some 250,000 residents off from their water supply. Six days ago, Hamas rocket fire targeted a convoy of humanitarian aid on its way to Gaza.

Israelly Cool reported on a Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center report examining those killed in IDF attacks during the first two days of Operation Guardians of the Walls based on data released on Palestinian sources.

  • 16 (21%) were killed during the unsuccessful launch of rockets at Israel (including ten who were 18-years-old or less)
  • At least 41 (55%) were terrorists: 30 Hamas, 3 Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and 8 Fatah
  • 17 (23%) were possibly civilians

“Hamas’ attempts to create a false impression that the vast majority of those killed were uninvolved civilians,” Israelly Cool reported. “A large number of the terrorist operatives killed were also portrayed as ‘civilians’ on social networks and in the Arab media channels for the same reasons.”

Hamas’ tactic of using civilians as human shields contravenes international law and constitutes a war crime, a fact admitted by the United Nations.

This tactic includes launching rockets in close proximity to civilians or from civilian structures. Hamas also digs terrorist tunnels under civilian structures. When the IDF destroys these tunnels, these sections that are distant from the point at which the IDF attacks them can collapse, causing civilian casualties. Neutralizing these threats to Israeli citizens can only be entirely achieved through a devastating air campaign or a ground incursion that endangers IDF soldiers. The IDF has chosen to address these threats through precision methods that, although they are not 100% effective in preventing civilian deaths, are remarkably successful.

This tactic of using Gazans as human shields was admitted to and even justified by Hamas spokesman, Dr. Basem Naim, in an interview with Sky News. 

 


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