Hiba Khan’s column
in UK “The independent” entitled “Everything wrong with the reaction to
Ahed Tamimi’s prosecution for slapping an Israeli soldier, ” takes a
defensive position toward Tamimi, which is permissible in a column: it is after
all, an opinion piece.
However, even an opinion columnist may not cross the
line into statements that are factually untrue, nor may a publisher allow it.
Dishonesty
If you have to be dishonest to support your opinion,
isn’t it possible that you’re just plain wrong?
For example, Khan claims: …the sad reality for Palestinians is a life deprived of healthcare,
an economy, a justice system, living in abject poverty with
no food or water security and military violence against them
and their children. (Just plain untrue).
Water:
Food:
·
The West Bank produces and
even exports olives,
citrus fruit, vegetables, beef, and dairy products.
·
The travel web site Trip
Advisor lists
“The 10 Best West Bank Restaurants.” You can see the review, or even come see
the restaurants, for yourself.
·
Two
percent of
West Bank residents are “food insecure,” an impressively low figure. For
context, 7%
of Americans are food insecure, over three times more than the West Bank, by
percent.
Healthcare:
·
The West Bank has healthcare:
with among the highest birth rates, lowest death rates and longest life
expectancy rates in the world.
Justice:
·
There is indeed a Palestinian justice system. Depending on the
matter, Palestinian courts or Israeli military courts may have jurisdiction, as
required under the international Hague Convention.
·
Tamimi’s case is before the
Israeli military juvenile court, where Tamimi is represented by a prominent, influential and highly experienced
attorney, who is also the former director of Peace Now and sits on the Tel Aviv
city council.
Violence
According to the
indictment and
the viral video, Tamimi was actually punching, kicking, biting and screaming at
the soldiers. In addition, last week Ahed publicly called for stabbing attacks and suicide bombings against
Israelis which can be seen in this video below:
Khan wasn’t wrong when she wrote that, “violence is
the norm” where the Tamimis live. She just didn’t bother to say how much of
that violence is being done, and encouraged, by the Tamimis themselves.
Israel (all of it) is “occupation”
Just so we’re clear on the reason for these protests
and riots: the Tamimi family objects not merely to Israel’s presence in the
West Bank, but to Israel’s very existence.
…references were
made to the occupation of 1948. Not 1967 — when Nabi
Saleh fell under Israeli control, having formerly been occupied by Jordan — but
the year of Israel’s rebirth. “Non-violent resistance” was a strategic choice
while it was stressed that under international law, the Palestinians were entitled to use “all necessary means” to resist
occupation. I remembered hearing similar sentiments from Palestinian terrorists
after Israeli buses and cafes had been targeted by suicide bombers.
Indeed, as seen in the video above, Ahed Tamimi
herself called for exactly that sort of horrific violence.
Even so, op er author Hiba Khan is entitled to
defend Tamimi and to criticize Israel in an opinion column. But she’s not
allowed to misstate facts in order to do it, and “The Independent” must take
corrective action.
2 comments:
Stuart, I appreciate all the work that you do towards Hasbara. I admit that it has been a while since I have read your posts carefully.
I’m having trouble reconciling some of what I see in this recent post. I went to some of the links to see the sources. For instance, where you said that there is 2% food insecurity, the link seems to say that 1.6 million Palestinians are food insecure. How is that 2%? What am I missing or misreading?
Also you say that life expectancy in the West Bank is one of the highest in the world. #110 is in the upper half of 224, but one of the highest makes it sound much higher than that.
I did not go to all of the links but, since I believe that you try to give a realistic picture, I’m having some difficulty. Please clarify for me.
According to the world health organisation Israel is placed 8th with life span of 81 years in a listing of 158 countries, West Bank and Gaza 68th with a life span of 75 well above all the surrounding Arab countries.
Re food insecurity, I believe that figure should be 20 not 2. Further there is much higher levels in Gaza than in the West Bank, since Hamas is is "playing" with its citizens lives while it continues to invest in one single objective - the destruction of the state of Israel.
Post a Comment