Paul Crespo in the Miami Herald comments on how differently Israelis and Palestinians react to violence:
Rather than clear the rubble and rebuild the area [after IDF actions], the PA apparently chooses to keep the buildings in disarray as a monument to the Israeli military actions, which the PA calls invasions. This is part of a deliberate and generally successful Palestinian victimization strategy that contrasts sharply with the way Israelis handle Palestinian terror attacks
While the Israelis could keep dozens of destroyed restaurants and other past terror targets as permanent symbols of terrorism, they choose not to. They prefer not to dwell on the attacks.
We see this even today, when in the wake of the horrific suicide bombing in Jerusalem, the Israeli police quickly cleared away the carnage and allowed traffic to flow again on the busy downtown street.
Crespo addresses how this affects media coverage:
Their differing responses to attacks, along with the contrasting means that each side uses in its fight, also affect how the media portray the conflict.
• Palestinian terror attacks are usually nearly invisible. Terror groups such as Hamas and the al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade use lone suicide bombers who suddenly appear in a crowded city street, bus or store, and disappear in a flash of explosives.
• Israeli military raids against Palestinian militants regularly involve massive shows of force, often lasting several days. Israeli retaliatory strikes are often more physically devastating and visually dramatic than suicide bombers. Israel uses armored vehicles, its troops move shooting through Palestinian areas, and helicopter gunships hover and fire overhead.
Add the emotional outbursts of Palestinians carrying mangled bodies through the streets after an Israeli raid, and you have a gut-wrenching story. Never mind that the Palestinians have created a culture of death that glorifies as ”martyrs” the suicide bombers who indiscriminately kill Israelis.
