Int'l Aid Groups Play Blame Game Against Israel

"U.N. and Red Cross Add to Outcry on Gaza War," A1, by Ethan Bronner
"Fighter Sees His Paradise in Gaza's Pain," A1, by Taghreed El-Khodary
"Rocket Fire From Lebanon Unsettles Israel, But Fears of a Hezbollah Attack Subside," A8, by Thanassis Cambanis
"Finger Pointing Over Israel and Gaza," A26 (Letters to the Editor)

The Times continues to place the Gaza conflict front and center, placing two articles on the front page.

U.N. and Red Cross Add to Outcry on Gaza War
Coverage begins with Bronner's article on the harsh criticism directed against Israel by international aid groups. Amazingly, but not surprisingly, all the aids groups' censure in the article is directed against Israel, without even mention of Hamas' inhumane battle tactics that purposely place its own civilian population in the line of fire. In such a war, how can Israel avoid large-scale civilian casualties? These aid groups seem not to care, demonstrating how divested they are from the realities of war and how little they care about Hamas' abuse of its own population.

In relation to the subject, the article discusses the death of a UN worker while delivering aid to Gazan civilian, leading the UN to declare a suspension of its aid operations. The language of the article assumes that it was the Israelis who killed the driver. Only near the bottom of the article is it mentioned that an Israeli medical worker had attributed the death to Hamas sniper fire. In response, John Ging, head of the United Nations relief operations in Gaza, crassly demands that "if they have evidence, let them present it," explicitly blaming Israel. Why should Israel be reflexively blamed when Hamas has shown it has no concern for human life?

This kind of behavior is indicative of of the UN's reflexive condemnation of Israel, while neglecting the actions of Palestinian terrorist organizations, who publicly declare their disregard of international humanitarian norms.

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Fighter Sees His Paradise in Gaza's Pain
In the second article on the front page, Taghreed El-Khodary, the Times reporter in Gaza, provides a vivid and emotional account of the suffering of Palestinians, civilian and terrorist, within the emergency ward of Gaza's main hospital, Shifa. El-Khodary provides no essential context in the piece.

In a fascinating dialogue in the article, El-Khodary recounts a revealing discussion she has with an Islamic Jihad fighter in the emergency room. The smiling gunmen speaks about his joy of fighting Israelis, noting that in order to escape Israeli military strikes, "we run into the houses to get away" (thereby purposely placing civilian's in harm way). When asked about the suffering he has brought upon he peoples, he responds: “But I am from the people, too. They lost their loved ones as martyrs. They should be happy. I want to be a martyr, too.”

I would hope with these sort of direct quotations, that readers will begin to understand the twisted ideology of martyrdom that motivates Palestinian terrorists not only to kill themselves, but their own people by directly placing them in the line of fire.

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Rocket Fire From Lebanon Unsettles Israel, But Fears of a Hezbollah Attack Subside
The third article on rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel is generally neutral in its coverage. The reporter notes that the rockets were not fired by Hezbollah, calming Israeli fears "when it appeared that the attack came from one of several small Palestinian militant groups in the area." Since the rockets were not fired by Hezbollah, the reporter seemingly downplays the entire incident, despite the fact that it was still an aggressive violation of Israeli sovereignty. These rockets were still very much capable of maiming Israeli civilians, as he fails to explain that one of these rockets crashed into a nursing home. It was sheer luck that nobody was killed. No sovereign nation should have to countenance such a threat on its border.

This hostile attack is another example of the failure of UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), established after the 2006 Second Lebanon War, which was created to prevent such aggressive attacks emanating from Lebanon. The author fails to note this.

On a positive note though, the reporter recognizes Hezbollah's de facto control over the country: "Ultimately, though, it is Hezbollah and its powerful militia that holds the cards in Lebanon; it entered the 2006 war with Israel over the objections of Lebanon’s Western-allied government." Israel must be prepared for the next round of conflict, which Hezbollah will inevitably initiate.

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Finger Pointing Over Israel and Gaza

Lastly, a day after publishing three op-eds viciously critical of Israel, the NYT decides to give some voice to supporters of Israel in its letters to the editors. Out of the seven editorials published on the subject of the conflict, four were supportive of Israel while three were critical.

The centerpiece of the letters was that written by Abe Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League. This is what he intelligently remarked:

The Jan. 8 Op-Ed column and articles about the Gaza conflict by Nicholas D. Kristof, Rashid Khalidi and Gideon Lichfield all create a false picture of the situation Israel faces with regard to Hamas. The notion, espoused in these articles, that Israeli military action is the source of the problems and counterproductive because it brings Hamas more support misses the crux of the problem.

Hamas took over in Gaza not in response to Israeli military actions but after Israel unilaterally left Gaza in 2005, a moment that offered hope for a new life for Palestinians. Rather than being taken as a building block to peace, the Palestinians backed a group committed to Israel’s destruction. In other words, Israeli concessions led to greater Palestinian extremism.

Therefore, to blame Israel’s military for the problems of the Palestinians in Gaza is absurd and provides no solace for Israelis living under years of rocket attacks out of Gaza.

Any solution to the problems created by Hamas rejectionist positions that relies solely on Israeli action without true partners in the region and beyond places an onus on Israel that is simply not sustainable.

The Times itself needs to recognize the inherently rejectionist nature of Hamas, and stop deluding itself into believing that Hamas desires to build a viable society. All evidence points to the contrary.