January 02, 2009
WHO ENDED THE 6 MONTH CEASE-FIRE IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE?
by Shiko Behar
On December 30, 2008 the New York Times published its first editorial on the recent bombings of Gaza. The editors open their text with the following claim: “Hamas must bear responsibility for ending a six-month cease-fire this month with a barrage of rocket attacks into Israeli territory.”
While the editors assign the blame conveniently and squarely on Hamas, this nevertheless remains a factually erroneous statement contradicting reporting by Israeli newspapers (in both Hebrew and English), the British press, Amnesty International and – perhaps curiously enough – November 2008 reporting by the NYT itself.
On November 12, the paper’s Jerusalem reporter, Isabel Kershner, wrote: “At least six Palestinian militants were killed in a clash and an Israeli airstrike on Nov. 4 after an Israeli force entered Gaza for the first time in five months.”
Therefore, the rockets into Israeli territory after nearly six months of cease-fire followed – rather than preceded – the Israeli invasion into, and the killings of Palestinians inside, the occupied Gaza Strip. On November 14, the paper’s Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Ethan Bronner, re-stated the same facts reported by Kershner; he additionally voiced them in his accompanying interview on NYT radio – both can be read/heard here.
More crucially, Israeli and international sources from the first week of November 2008 – sources that are scholarly and (otherwise) more reliable than the NYT – shed further light on the misleading claim by the NYT editors. They include, but are by no means limited to:
The Israeli Haaretz, November 5, 2008: “Israel Defense Forces troops yesterday killed a Hamas gunman and wounded two others in the first armed clash in the Gaza Strip since a cease-fire was declared there in June. […] An Israeli army spokeswoman said troops had entered the territory.”
The Israeli Yediot Ahronot, November 5, 2008: “For the first time since the ceasefire took effect in June, IDF forces operated deep in the Gaza Strip Tuesday night.”
(Note: had the NYT editors bothered to consult Hebrew sources they would have easily found that the Hebrew version of the news item cited above is even clearer.)
The Times (UK), November 5, 2008: “A five-month truce between Israel and the Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip was foundering yesterday after Israeli special forces entered the besieged territory and fought.”
Amnesty International, November 10, 2008: “A spate of Israeli and Palestinian attacks and counter-attacks in the past 24 hours could spell the end of a five-and-a-half-month ceasefire. […] The killing of six Palestinian militants in Gaza by Israeli forces in a ground incursion and air strikes on 4 November was followed by a barrage of dozens of Palestinian rockets.”
The Guardian, November 5, 2008: “Hamas militants fired more than 35 rockets into Israel today, hours after the Israeli army killed six people inside the Gaza Strip in the first major exchange of fire since a truce took effect in June.”
The Independent, November 5, 2008: “Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip fired more than 35 rockets towards Israel today, the army and the Islamist group said, hours after the Israeli army killed six militants in the coastal territory.”
***
Curiously, the NYT opinion page chose to host two Israeli Jews two days in a row (Benni Morris and David Grossman) to voice their thoughts (representing left and right Zionism). The paper apparently did not find it necessary – if only to maintain the façade of journalistic objectivity – to invite an Arab from Gaza (or elsewhere) to opine. This is particularly intriguing given that the death toll at the time stood at 360 Palestinians to 3 Israelis. The history of the NYT’s sloppy reporting on the Israeli-Arab conflict makes it unlikely that the editors will bother to correct their erroneous – and needlessly inflammatory – editorial.
Lastly, it is worth emphasizing that inaccuracies such as that of the NYT must be considered as much anti-Israeli/anti-Jewish – as they are certainly anti-Palestinian/anti-Arab: factual fallacies (let alone lies), whether willful or unintentional, benefit neither Israeli Jews, nor Palestinian Arabs, nor – most critically – the mere possibility for their more hopeful joint future. Illuminating such errors is therefore a simultaneously pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian act. Perhaps it is also pro-human.
ADDENDUM:
In fact, a 16 November commentary by Dr. Zvi Bar'el, Israel's most senior analyst on Arab affairs, further confirms the NYT's (yet-to-be-retracted) grave factual error:
"[...] It is impossible to claim that those who decided to blow up the tunnel were simply being thoughtless. The military establishment was aware of the immediate implications of the measure, as well as of the fact that the policy of "controlled entry" into a narrow area of the Strip leads to the same place: an end to the lull. That is policy - not a tactical decision by a commander on the ground."
UPDATE 1/8/08: Part two of this article can be seen here.
Shiko Behar is a friend of 3QD and presently a melancholic Israeli citizen.
Posted by Abbas Raza at 07:14 AM | Permalink
Comments
What is going on in Israel is no one's fault. That's the problem and that's why this is never going to end until complete and total destruction is visited upon one of the actors in this perpetual theater of tragedy. Each generation will be taught why they are in the right and why vengance is necessary. Assigning blame only makes it worse, aligns you with one side, and, indirectly, makes you a part of the problem and not the solution.
Posted by: Matthew Friedland | Jan 2, 2009 12:25:09 PM
Great article. I've been curious why the _supporters_ of Palestinians haven't brought up the Nov. 4th killings. One often hears that "Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Studying why mention of Nov. 4th killings have been absent in both sides of the conflict should be constructive.
Posted by: falcon | Jan 2, 2009 1:56:38 PM
What is going on in Israel is no one's fault.
Do you live in a condition free, divinely created universe?
If not, that statement is absurd. The conditions in Israel are condition driven, feedback loops, both with intention involved, and with ignorance involved.
Posted by: Dave Ranning | Jan 2, 2009 1:58:21 PM
Hey, Dave, sounds like you live in a Universe that has a beginning, middle and an end. Pretty remedial. When you figure out who's at fault for what is going on in the Middle East, let us all know and we'll make sure you get your Nobel Peace Prize. If everyone is at fault then no is at fault. And how are children to blame for what it going on? This situation is generations, centuries, EPOCHS old. Fault is not an issue. That's what I was trying to say. Maybe your New Year's resolution should be to stop being so knee jerk. That'll help with your foot in mouth problem, you know.
Posted by: Matthew Friedland | Jan 2, 2009 2:53:53 PM
The NYT, like most highly respected news sources, seems to have blind spots within which its usually informative reports are very unreliable, and Israel/Palestine is certainly one of them. It's been that way as long as I can remember, and I've never taken what the NYT says on that subject as accurate.
Posted by: JonJ | Jan 2, 2009 3:20:26 PM
More shining truths from the people who brought you the fake Bertrand Delanoë letter.
Posted by: J.D. Foley | Jan 2, 2009 3:26:21 PM
...For the first time since the ceasefire took effect in June, IDF forces operated deep in the Gaza Strip Tuesday night in a bid to collapse a tunnel located 250 meters (273 yards) from the border – and which terror groups intended to use for kidnapping Israeli soldiers.
Palestinian sources reported that six gunmen were killed in the clashes that ensued during the operation, and that several others, including a female bystander were injured.
The force arrived at a structure near the al-Bureij refugee camp which the tunnel had been dug in adjacent to. Palestinian gunmen were alerted to the soldiers' presence and when they arrived at the scene a fierce gunbattle ensued. Shortly afterwards a loud explosion occurred, which toppled the structure.
The army said the intensity of the blast was due to the large amount of explosives stored in the building, adding that the building was probably booby-trapped ahead of time, in order to prevent the force from entering it. No casualties were reported among IDF troops...
Posted by: stuart philler | Jan 2, 2009 4:07:56 PM
Are you trying to tell us that the rockets started after November 4? They've been ceaseless all summer and fall and largely ignored by the Israelis. Where is that in these articles?
Posted by: mr.ed | Jan 2, 2009 10:13:33 PM
very good article that exposes the Israeli terrorism
Posted by: Ahmad Sabri | Jan 3, 2009 7:34:59 AM
A good article about the attack on Gaza, to demonstrate how biased the news could be sometimes , especially when it is about the terrorist acts of Israel government and army
Posted by: Hani Al-Menaii | Jan 3, 2009 1:07:01 PM
"terrorist acts of Israel "
and building the tunnel full of explosives was what? Part of a new Metro line? or a "Tahadia" (truce) infringement, like the many rockets they fired during the Tahadia.
Its great how Arabs believe their own lies. Delusional people are more easy to defeat.
Posted by: aguy109 | Jan 4, 2009 11:04:17 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_massacre
Posted by: Steven Augustine | Jan 4, 2009 12:15:49 PM
Mr. stuart philler,
Provide me with a source of you last story; I can make up stories like that.
The fact that the truce was breached by the Israeli is reported by many sources such as The Guardian, Amnesty inter. and so on.
Please don't say it is the IDF.
Posted by: George | Jan 6, 2009 7:09:31 PM
So, if we just look away from the fact that rockets have been coming quite regularly during the entire fall, you seriously think that a israeli special forces raid against a tunnel which itself was a breach of the truce, can be considered a breach of the truce? And you argue that :
"Lastly, it is worth emphasizing that inaccuracies such as that of the NYT must be considered as much anti-Israeli/anti-Jewish – as they are certainly anti-Palestinian/anti-Arab: factual fallacies (let alone lies), whether willful or unintentional, benefit neither Israeli Jews, nor Palestinian Arabs, nor – most critically – the mere possibility for their more hopeful joint future. Illuminating such errors is therefore a simultaneously pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian act. Perhaps it is also pro-human."
What do you call your omissions of facts..? if not inaccurancies?
Posted by: Ulrik F. Thyve | Jan 6, 2009 7:13:05 PM
Could someone please clarify: Did Hamas really fire rockets during the 6-month ceasefire?
Posted by: Nkirv | Jan 12, 2009 4:47:48 PM
Nikriv,
No. Hamas didn't fire rockets until Israel violated the cease-fire.
Israel and its PR wing in American media have done an incredible job of obfuscating this ridiculously simple question to the point where people now have trouble understanding the basics of it.
A cease-fire means two parties can't shoot at each other.
A cease-fire is breached when one of the parties shoots at the other.
This 6-month cease-fire started in June.
In November, Israel attacked Gaza.
This means Israel breached the cease-fire.
It really is that simple. There is no other way around it.
Any arguments about what Hamas was doing inside Gaza are plain garbage. Whether Hamas was building a military infrastructure or not is purely irrelevant here. By that standard, America is breaking is attacking Canada everytime an army is trained in America.
Also, I'm pretty sure Israel was also preparing and building its army over these 6 months, right? How come that doesn't count as a violation of a cease-fire whereas Hamas doing whatever it is that Israel accuses them of doing counts?
Whatever it is Hamas did, Israel did worse.
There is no way to go around it. By any definition of breach of cease-fire, Israel will be the one to have broken this one.
Posted by: saifedean | Jan 12, 2009 7:15:40 PM
Be careful, here, saifedean.
Rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel during the six-month ceasefire.
Did Hamas fire them? It claims it didn't, and they were the responsibility of much smaller groups like Islamic Jihad. It thus claims it wasn't breaching the cease fire. As the governing authority in Gaza, Hamas does have some responsibility for controlling rocket fire, but it's a tricky issue to decide how much responsibility it does have. This point isn't very convincing to the Israelis, who believe that Hamas could have shut down the rocket fire if it wanted to.
On the other hand, digging a tunnel wasn't a breach of the cease-fire, and the attack on the tunnel by Israelis was most definitely a breach of the cease-fire. As was a failure to keep the border crossings open.
At the end of the cease fire, Hamas definitely decided to greatly ramp up rocket fire. It's definitely within its rights (absent the fact that indiscriminate rocket fire is a war crime) to do that, since the cease fire had ended.
Posted by: Hektor Bim | Jan 13, 2009 9:51:28 AM
Apart from all this endless argument about who broke the cease-fire, did Israel at any time end the siege of Gaza during the the last six months? I seem to recall reading that during that period of time crippling food and medicine shortages caused hundreds of civilian deaths in Gaza. Why isn't that seen by the 'international community' as an act of terrorism when it could rightly be argued that it fits the description?
Posted by: Pepito | Jan 13, 2009 11:23:58 AM
Post a comment