Hamas the Democrats?

The Independent forgets to mention that Hamas took over control of Gaza through a violent coup d'etat rather than a democratic election.

By October 25, 2016

HRsuccessUPDATE

Following a request from HonestReporting, The Independent has corrected the inaccurate paragraph and added the missing information, which now reads:

 

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* * *

The Independent covers an interview given to a Palestinian newspaper by Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman where he threatens to “completely destroy” Hamas if it starts another war with Israel.

According to the Independent:

 

independent241016

 

While Hamas did win local elections in 2006, the terror organization only took over the Gaza Strip in 2007 as a result of a violent coup d’etat, which involved throwing Fatah members off rooftops and ejecting the Palestinian Authority from Gaza.

Instead, The Independent’s readers are given the false impression that Hamas controls the Gaza Strip by way of the ballot box rather than the bullet. Ergo, Lieberman could be seen to be threatening a democratically elected regime in Gaza, which is certainly not the case.

We’ve contacted The Independent and asked for this lack of context and selective omission to be addressed. Watch this space.

© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025

Simon Plosker

Simon Plosker

With over two decades of experience in various non-governmental organizations in the UK and Israel, Simon Plosker returned to HonestReporting in October 2022 as Editorial Director having previously been part of the organization’s management team from 2005 to 2020.

Prior to his first spell at HonestReporting, Simon worked in Israel for NGO Monitor, BICOM, and served for a short period in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. He was Managing Editor of the Geneva-based NGO United Nations Watch for two years before moving back to the frontline defending Israel from media bias.

Simon has a BSoc.Sc in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Birmingham and an MSc in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics. He immigrated to Israel in 2001 from London.

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