Washington Post: “Bee Stings on the Israeli Bear’s Behind”
November 25, 2012 13:37 by Simon Plosker
Let’s be clear: Palestinian rockets from Gaza are intended to kill and have the ability to kill.
Writing primarily on how and why the Washington Post decided to include a photograph of a grieving Palestinian father holding a dead baby on its front page, ombudsman Patrick Pexton includes the following:
I think we can all agree that the Gaza rocket fire is reprehensible and is aimed at terrorizing Israeli civilians. It’s disruptive and traumatic. But let’s be clear: The overwhelming majority of rockets fired from Gaza are like bee stings on the Israeli bear’s behind.
These rockets are unguided and erratic, and they carry very small explosive payloads; they generally fall in open areas, causing little damage and fewer injuries.
Pexton just doesn’t get it. Considering that he appears to be concerned with loss of human life, why then does Pexton downplay the intended effect of Palestinian rockets almost the point of ridicule? After all, were it not for the extensive defensive measures Israel has taken to defend its population, there would be a far greater number of dead Israelis.
Send your considered comments to the Washington Post - letters@washpost.com.
Image: CC BY-SA HonestReporting.com, flickr/vfsdigitaldesign.
Al Neuman
10:19 pm
Nov 27, 2012
Obvious that most of the posters here recognize the incredible distortions of the “news” promulgated by this jerk Paxton and can surmise what his real motivations are.
However i fear that we’re all “preaching to the choir” by not demonstrating our contempt and disgust for Paxton’s bigoted lying in an influential publication like Wash Post more publicly.
So i have posted on WP’s site as well about this outrage and also wrote Paxton a “personal” message (with copy to WP editor) expressing my feelings about his outrageous distortions–and strongly suggest that others concerned about this ongoing vilification of Israel which seems to have become “acceptable” in the mainstream media do same.
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Sylvie Schapira
10:36 pm
Nov 27, 2012
You are absolutely right Al (‘So I have posted on WP’s site). I too sent a very clear message about the insulting, inhumane and bigoted Pexton. But so far they have not printed it. This has been my experience here in the UK. I send lots of letters to the BBC (or as we call it, the Palestine Broadcasting Company), The Guardian and a few others, but they always manage to avoid printing them. Still, they are getting the message even if they refuse to put it out to the public. It is a war, and Israel and Jews are under threat. We are protesting against the BDS on a weekly basis now. The Jewish community here now recognizes his fact and is holding a meeting tomorrow to plan strategies.
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Al Neuman
6:18 am
Nov 28, 2012
Sylvie: Thanks for your response, and for your efforts on behalf of Israel. We all realize the importance of doing our best to protect Israel from the relentless onslaught of distorted media “reporting” as well as blatant online antiSemitism.
Only suggestion esp. in view of WP’s not surprising failure to publish your LTE’s is to go on their website, and whenever there is an obnoxious article about Israel, like this crap from Paxton, post a “Comment” (or 2) in the space usually provided..
Although WP does have comments screeners they’re usually pretty liberal so to speak about allowing posts which disagree with their usual way Left mindset as long as they don’t contain obscenities,etc
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Nigel Blumenthal
1:32 pm
Nov 29, 2012
Hi Al:
That was exactly what I did – I left a message on their comments weblog/website, and it’s there for all to see. It wasn’t screened, as far as I know – there was no delay between my submitting it and its appearing on the site – although I would not suggest that anyone take advantage of that to leave inappropriate or obscene postings, even though the Post often provokes both inappropriate and obscene reactions in our house!!
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Ehud TA
11:27 pm
Nov 27, 2012
Number of Israelis killed by fire from Gaza, November 13th-19th 2012: 3
In that period Gazan rockets that fell in urban areas: 35 and rockets intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system: 302 (Economist’s Gaza Abacus)
So, let’s estimate how many Israelis would have been killed if there were no early warning system, shelters, and Iron Dome. If 3 Israelis were killed by 35 rockets during November 13th-19th, then without Iron Dome the number of Israelis killed might have been 3X(302+35)/35=29. And if they had no shelters and sirens? 290? 2900?
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steven L
1:07 am
Nov 28, 2012
Why not send the WP some of the pieces of rockets made in Gaza or Iran, that landed in Sderot!
Perhaps they will understand that there is no limit to their stupidity!
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steven L
1:08 am
Nov 28, 2012
Pexton is angry because too few Jews are killed!
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AnaMaría
4:12 am
Nov 28, 2012
Come on Simon… Hamas rocket are cream filling say the truth! Behind the WaPo it is hide the poisonous Soros but with so much venom sometimes is easy to find him…
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Pete
12:41 am
Nov 29, 2012
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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April
1:20 am
Nov 29, 2012
In response to Pete, the baby was not murdered, but killed accidentally by a bomb intended for someone else. If the story is true, it is comparable to incidents of police officers who accidentally harmed or killed the wrong person while pursuing a suspect (and this has happened before).
Compare the incident described by the BBC article with the murders of the Fogel family. In that incident, Palestinians very deliberately sliced open a Jewish baby’s throat. There was nothing accidental about it. Please note that Palestinians celebrated the brutal murder of the Fogel children by passing out sweets and expressing happiness. Israelis did not celebrate the unintended deaths of children.
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Sylvie Schapira
1:18 am
Nov 29, 2012
Pete: It is distressing to see a baby killed, but ‘we people’ suffered decades of missile attacks on our Southern cities. You don’t see photographs of traumatized children – because the BBC chose not to show these – but it does not mean that Israelis do not feel terrified. Hamas provokes retaliation, so that babies can be killed and the world can blame Israel. This is what they want. How would you like to live there, three miles from Gaza, with only 15 seconds to get to your shelter. And yes, the Israeli government provides shelters for her people. Something not impossible for Hamas to do, but they prefer to sacrifice their children. They are the the murderers for causing the wars.
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Sylvie Schapira
12:04 pm
Nov 29, 2012
April: you are right! These are the people who murder an innocent family in their home, in cold blood, behead a baby (no media showed that!!!) because of their dark-ages hatred, and they demand a state of their own. Incomprehensible. A requisite of a state is to live in peace with their neighbours. Abbas made (the usual) statement last year about not recognizing Israel. Ever. So much for responsibility, intention of negotiation and peace. They do not know the meaning of the words. Pete should read some true history of events, not the story the Palestinians love to put out as their shameful, victimhood propaganda – ‘It’s Israel’s fault’ – no matter what the problem.
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Sylvie Schapira
12:15 pm
Nov 29, 2012
It is in the collective psyche of Palestinians to hate and kill Jews. Their propaganda has infected the media, like Pexton, and encouraged leftists to join them in wanting to destroy Israel. Leftists see Israel has an Imperial colonizing oppressor, whilst Islamists just hate Jews and want to claim a global caliphate (Islamist world). Their fury at having the ‘infidel’ in their very midst is boundless. We will continue to see this hatred oozing out of the media. All moral people must stand up to it now. Protest and support for Israel in every way possible, through letter writing, tweeting, facebook, newspapers etc. Get the true facts across to counteract the lies, distortion and falsehoods.
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Jeffrey
3:50 pm
Nov 30, 2012
Given that the United States grants people the right to carry weapons and that some states have a very low population, perhaps recreational groups in America should be allowed to develop potentially lethal rockets and fire them at random. Most of them would fall in national parks, or in the desert or on large farms or in forests where they might destroy a few crops or set fire to a few acres of trees or scrubland. Surely, these would simply be “like bee stings on the bear’s behind.” and no reasonable American need bother about them. If a few did fall on a built up area and kill a few people, it would be nothing for the law enforcement agencies to bother with. Or is America different?
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