ISRAELI ARMY CONTINUES TO LIE ABOUT DEATH OF TEAR GAS VICTIM WHILE ISRAELI PRESS CONTINUES TO SPREAD THOSE LIES

January 20, 2011 at 10:44 (Corporate Media, DesertPeace Editorial, From The Media, Israel, Media Lies, Nonviolent Resistance, Occupied West Bank, Oppression, Palestine, Soldier Brutality)


A photograph of Jawaher Abu Rahmah hangs at her funeral on 1 January. (Oren Ziv/ActiveStills)

Two weeks ago I posted a piece very critical of both HaAretz and Ynet News. At the time, the IDF went as far as to claim the victim, Jawaher Abu Rahmah, wasn’t even at the demonstration in question.

The day after my post, HaAretz changed its tune and actually reported the truth about the situation. But, they are back at their old game of once again spreading the lies of the IDF as if it was the true version of the events. Ynet Joins them in this endeavor.

As was written in the first post I mention above;
Let me state here that Palestine does not want martyrs. Palestine wants FREEDOM! Palestinians want STATEHOOD!!

Israel will and is doing everything in its power to prevent either from becoming a reality. Now the Israeli press is following suit by joining the chorus of lies being sung by the IDF and the government itself.

HaAretz which is supposedly the voice of the Left in Israel has also joined in as has YNet which normally publishes opinions just left of centre. Perhaps this is a result of fear stemming from a Bill which most likely will pass in the Knesset today, a proposal by Yisrael Beiteinu to establish a parliamentary committee of inquiry into Israeli organizations it says participate in delegitimization campaigns against Israeli soldiers.

Once again, I say shame on both of these news outlets. The IDF has its own line of publications, let them print all the lies they want there. The rest should concentrate on real news, not lies.

The shameful reports of today can be seen below, will we see the truth tomorrow on their pages or only here on the Blogesphere?

From HaAretz …..

IDF: Death of Bil’in woman caused by poor medical care in Ramallah

From Ynet …..

IDF findings: Palestinian woman died of Atropine overdose

~~~~~~~

Army confusion over Jawaher Abu Rahmah’s death

Last night, the army released a statement to the Israeli press about the death of Jawaher Abu Rahmah in Bil’in. For the past two weeks, the army has been spreading lies and half truths about her death ranging from suspected cancer to Abu Rahmah not being present at the demonstration on New Years Eve. The most recent army statement actually catchs the army in its own web of lies. The IDF now confirms that Abu Rahmah was at the demonstration (exactly where in the demonstration they are still speculating) she was in fact tear gassed and she was admitted to hospital for the effects of tear gas. This is in stark contrast to the statements that central commander Avi Mizrahi passed to unvetted right wing bloggers and subsequently to the media after Abu Rahmha’s death.

Like previous statements, the current one is full of inconsistencies and half truths. The army is claiming that Abu Rahmah received an overdose of a drug that is used to treat nerve and tear gas. So, according the army, her death is completely the responsibly of the hospital and tear gas played no role. However it was the gas that put her life in danger and the reason she was in hospital in the first place. The current report must be treated with extreme caution based on the track record of blatant lies that the army has spread about this story. As the statements continue to roll out, the Palestinians version of events has been vindicated. The army is making a last ditch effort to try and create an atmosphere of confusion in the hopes that the story will dissolve by itself.

The Israeli strategy of confusion of facts has been so successful that press articles in today’s Israel papers make little rational sense. They appear as a mash up to lies and half truths that contradict one and other. Ynet, citing army reports, is reporting that Abu Rahmah was not at the demonstration but was admitted to the hospital because of the effects of tear gas. The newstream is now so polluted with disinformation from the army that the story will most likely die out with each side holding to their own version of story regardless of the facts. This is exactly the army’s strategy.

3 Comments

  1. tom dee said,

    January 20, 2011 at 16:43

    Israel is not turning on itself. It is splitting into different groups. The major groups will be the orthodox and the secular. The orthodox in Israel have become a welfare group and huge number of family members. How is a nation going to exist with a majority as a welfare burden and huge population? Is there any wonder why the orthodox are becoming more military? They know they do not want to give up the golden goose. The secular know that they will lose the USA taxpayers money as the USA goes more and more bankrupt. The result will be civil war in Israel with many in the world happy to provide support to both sides. They will see a waring Israel as a good way to make peace in most of the middle east. Having the huge bloated idf tied up on local conflict will make it more difficult for Israel to attack its neighbors. It just will become more and more clear as time goes on

  2. The Lone Ranger said,

    January 20, 2011 at 19:10

    zisrael rants on & on about how they were gassed by the Germans. Of course that is not TRUE, but a LIE. Now they kill a Palestinian with gas and they have to stop that monumental TRUTH from being widely known. They do not want the TRUTH known & competing with their LIES. And what an ironic analogy! Jews killing Palestinians with GAS! They can’t let that story gain much traction, what would the dupped people of the world come to conclude about frankenstein passing gas in Palestine?

  3. mikael said,

    January 21, 2011 at 00:00

    Dont forgett the fact that Haaretz was, and still is Israels best propagand site, and to everybody that has knowledge on propaganda, this is have you do it.
    To cover bouth sides.
    And putt under pressure, haaretz have exposed them self. There are few who are talking for humanety and for the Palestinians, but they have a almoust lost case.

    “War is peace.
    Freedom is slavery.
    Ignorance is strength.”
    — George Orwell (1984)