By Taghreed El-Khodary and Isabel Kershner
A10
Monday, December 15, 2008
Shlomo Dror, spokesman for Israel's Defense Ministry, said "Hamas had not stuck to its commitments and had continued to smuggle weapons and explosives into Gaza." If, as Dror suggests, these commitments are part of the truce, then El-Khodary and Kershner have misreported about its unraveling since November 4.
El-Khodary and Kershner write that the truce fell apart after an Israeli incursion. The incursion, of course, followed the construction of a tunnel, which, though it was not meant for weapons- smuggling, could have been used to kidnap Israeli soldiers. To be clear, a tunnel built for kidnapping is preparation for war in the same way as weapons-smuggling is.
Unsurprisingly, Kershner fails to link the construction of the tunnel to the actual kidnapping of Gilad Shalit over two years ago. By doing so, she makes Israel appear overly concerned about Hamas's actions. On the contrary, because the threat of kidnapping has been realized, its prevention is a necessity. Kershner has failed to draw this connection in every article she has published about Gaza since November 4.
El-Khodary and Kershner should be commended for their explanation of Israel's decision to tighten the blockade of Gaza at the end of the article and their inclusion of the United States and Europe, alongside Israel, as countries that classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.
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Great post. This Kershner problem w/ the tunnel has just become like clockwork. I like the title of the post too.
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