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    Such a perfect example of the media bias towards Israel Archived Message

    Posted by Raskolnikov on May 4, 2019, 7:22 pm, in reply to "Gaza killings spike ahead of Eurovision"

    that it is almost a cliche.

    Earlier on the headline was focussed on "Palestinians killed" but suddenly it changed to this:

    At least 90 rockets fired into Israel from Gaza Strip, says military.

    With the always useful, get out of liars jail free card, "says the military".

    The sub head starts the bias ball rolling:

    Israel responds with airstrikes and tank fire as month-long lull in violence ends

    There are two distortions here: firstly that Israel is "responding" (see below) and secondly, the subhead gives the impression that the rockets are what broke the lull in violence. Actually, there's probably a third one in there, that there was actually a lull.

    Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fired at least 90 rockets into southern Israel, according to the Israeli military, triggering retaliatory airstrikes and tank fire against militant targets in the blockaded enclave and shattering a month-long lull in violence.

    Gaza’s health ministry said a 22-year-old Palestinian, Emad Nassir, was killed by an Israeli airstrike. Four other Palestinians sustained injuries from airstrikes and shelling. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in Israel.

    So the main focus is alleged rocket fire into Israel but there are no "immediate" reports of injuries or even DAMAGE in Israel. That's some hellish rocket fire! Once again, the strikes are "retaliatory" rather than continued collective punishment.

    Then buried down the article:

    On Friday two Palestinians were fatally shot by Israeli forces during protests along the Israel-Gaza perimeter fence. Palestinian militants shot and wounded two Israeli soldiers along the border fence. No group claimed responsibility, and Israeli aircraft carried out retaliatory strikes, killing two Hamas militants.

    In total, more than 200 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier have been killed in the border protests.

    Ahh, so before these supposed rockets, two Palestinians were "fatally shot" during protests ( The old passive voice to soften it rather than saying "Isreali forces killed"), but given Friday comes before Saturday, you could say that if the rockets were even fired it was the Palestinians who were doing the responding.

    And that second paragraph just skips over the fact that nearly all the Palestinian casualties were civillians; they try to tag the "solider" on the end so as to make it seem like the Palestinian deaths were also military.

    Also, who said the two killed in airstrikes were Hamas militants? Did Hamas confirm it or was it another "the military said"?

    After heavy fighting in early April, Israel agreed to ease the blockade in exchange for a halt to rocket fire. This included expanding a fishing zone off Gaza’s coast, increasing imports into Gaza and allowing the Gulf state of Qatar to deliver aid. Hamas hoped Egyptian mediators could further ease the blockade, which has ravaged Gaza’s economy.

    "Heavy fighting". Once again, a false equivalence. What it really was was Palestinians demonstrating, throwing rocks, flying kites with relatively harmless incendiaries on them and burning tyres and in response they were getting murdered by snipers.

    Also, note the depersonalisation, "ravaged the economy". Not the population, or the people, or the citizens, the economy. A nice abstract, bloodless concept.

    I should be used to this by now but it never ceases to be disgusting.Still keep taking the money to lie for a living; I'm sure you sleep soundly.

    https://www.dumptheguardian.com/world/2019/may/04/israel-gaza-strip-palestine-90-rockets-fired

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