Monday, March 07, 2011

'If It Bleeds, It Leads' - But Who Is Bleeding?

I had passed on a Hebrew-language news item informing that Eitan, the son of my friend Yisrael Zeev, was injured, struck in the head by a thrown rock after Arabs tried to storm his Alei-Ayin home. Eve Harow wrote back saying she hadn't seen any news report on the main media by 7PM, hours after the incident.

I wrote back that when the media will relate to it, they'll probably highlight the injuries caused to Arabs by the soldiers who arrived to disperse them.

Well, I was right:-

Palestinians hurt by IDF fire

Forces alerted to Nablus area following violent clashes between settlers, Palestinians open fire after being pelted with stones; nine Palestinians hurt, six from gunfire; settler lightly wounded. Jews: They came at us with axes

Clashes erupted Monday afternoon between Palestinians and Jewish settlers near the West Bank town of Nablus. One settler was lightly injured from stones, while the Palestinians said nine people sustained wounds in the clashes, which apparently broke out after settlers uprooted seedlings in a Palestinian field.

Palestinian sources said at least three people were injured from IDF fire. Ghassan Doughlas, a Palestinian official in charge of monitoring settlements in the northern West Bank, said settlers surrounded the village of Qasra before the clashes erupted, adding that the firing began when IDF forces arrived at the scene.

The army said its forces were attacked by Palestinian stone-throwers during the clashes near the village of Qasra, adding that soldiers opened fire at six Palestinians after sensing their lives were at risk. Three other Palestinians were hurt from stones thrown by settlers...

and here:

IDF: 6 Palestinians shot in clashes with settlers

Security forces use live fire to disperse ongoing clashes that broke out after settlers reportedly uprooted trees in Kusra, south of Nablus.

Six Palestinians were wounded Monday after IDF troops opened fire to disperse violent clashes that broke out after settlers reportedly uprooted trees in Kusra, south of Nablus

The IDF spokesperson said that troops responded to a "larger than usual" clash between settlers and Palestinians when and were subsequently targeted by rock-throwing Palestinians. The soldiers then responded with precision shooting at the rock-throwers, according to the spokesman's office.

When asked if the soldiers first tried to fire in the air to disperse the rock-throwers, the spokesman's office said the incident was still under investigation. No soldiers were injured in the incident, but a number of settlers were lightly hurt by thrown rocks...

and even here:

8 Palestinians wounded in clash with Israeli army

Both sides give conflicting accounts of what happened during the confrontation

Israeli soldiers and armed settlers opened fire at West Bank villagers during a clash Monday, wounding eight, Israelis and Palestinians said.

A Palestinian witness said villagers were tending to trees damaged by settlers when settlers attacked them, setting off a rock-throwing clash. The witness, Ibrahim Wadi, 50, said soldiers arrived and fired at them, wounding several.  The Israeli military said that during a clash, Palestinians threw rocks at soldiers, who tried to disperse the gathering and then opened fire at their legs. The military said settlers also fired at the Palestinians, wounding three.

Soldiers fired rubber-coated steel pellets at the Palestinians, the military said. Also, an officer fired live bullets at a Palestinian who came at him with an iron pick and another who tried to drag a settler away.

Raed Odeh, another Palestinian witness, said a settler fired an assault rifle, and soldiers used "live bullets, rubber bullets and tear gas, everything."

Palestinian hospital officials said one of the eight was seriously wounded. Most suffered leg wounds.

Since the violence was initiated by Arabs, and a Jew had been injured and his property threatened with damage, that is the unique aspect of the story.  That perpetrators are the subject of police action is normal.

But the media is very abnormal.

_______________

on Alei-Ayin with pics.

on the recent January destruction.

on last summer's field burning by Arabs.

^

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

ym

no way your son's friend could have been injured....rock throwing is "unarmed protest"