False Equivalence, However Brief

"Israel: More Shelling and Retaliation"
A11, Tuesday 2/3/09, World Briefing
By Isabel Kershner

Kershner misstates the current cease-fire as a "truce," which is defined by "an agreement of opposing forces."

A much larger problem with definitions is the depiction of Israel's airstrikes against the launching squad: retaliation. Retaliation is defined as repaying (as an injury); returning like for like; especially to get revenge. It's unclear how apt this definition is to what prompted Israel's response, which was likely to ensure the launchers could not fire again.

Since one can easily make the case that Israel's actions were preemptory and not retaliatory, the title should've simply stated, "Israel: More Shelling". As the title subtly suggests a pointless cycle of violence, Times readers are offered more false equivalence.