18 May 2011

What a comical article

You really just have to laugh. "Israel’s borders erupted in deadly clashes on Sunday as thousands of Palestinians confronted Israeli troops to mark the anniversary of Israel’s creation. More than a dozen people were reported killed and scores injured." Which people were killed and injured in these "clashes"? How many from each side? Who killed them? I hope the NYT will provide us with an update once they find out.

‎"but there were also signs of official support in Lebanon and Syria, where analysts said leaders were using the Palestinian cause to deflect attention from internal problems."

What are these signs? Which analysts said this? Which leaders?

"The Lebanese military said 10 protesters were killed and more than 100 were wounded. Israel said it was investigating the casualties."

Yeah the Lebanese military is probably lying, as if there's any dispute that 10 people were killed by Israel in Lebanon.

"In the Golan Heights, about 100 Palestinians living in Syria breached a border fence"

See how they write this to imply Palestinians from Syria breached Israel's borders when all they did was go into Israeli-occupied Syrian territory (not that I would have problem if they went into Israel, just saying).

"In the West Bank, about 1,000 protesters carrying Palestinian flags and throwing stones and occasional firecrackers and gasoline bombs fought with Israeli riot troops near the military checkpoint between Ramallah and Israel."

I guess the Israeli riot troops had no weapons to speak of...

"The chief Israeli military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, said on Israel Radio that he saw Iran’s fingerprints in the coordinated confrontations, although he offered no evidence."

But you quote his baseless conspiracy theories anyway because he's an Israeli, then you go on to provide circumstantial evidence for him: "Syria has a close alliance with Iran, as does Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon, and Hamas, which rules in Gaza."

"Yoni Ben-Menachem, Israel Radio’s chief Arab affairs analyst..."

Ah, so this is who your 'analyst' is, an Israeli orientalist/conspiracy theorist.

"Hezbollah was believed to have helped coordinate the march."

Believed by whom? Where's the evidence for this statement?

"A Syrian dissident, citing accounts from Damascus residents, said pro-government Palestinian groups began busing people to the border on Saturday night."

Unnamed 'Syrian dissident' citing unnamed 'Damascus residents', yeah that's real solid evidence for this conspiracy theory. I'm loving the high journalistic standards. Any guy calling himself a Syrian dissident can ring up the New York Times and tell them they heard someone say that the Palestinians have been very very naughty today and they'll get their claims published.

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