What happened?
Two Israeli soldiers accidentally drove into the Qalandiya refugee camp because of a mix-up with their Waze navigation system. Palestinians in the camp attacked the lost soldiers: opening gunfire, throwing firebombs and rocks. The soldiers exited their vehicle and fled the potentially deadly attack on foot, before IDF forces arrived to rescue them.
Palestinians then attacked the rescue forces, injuring 10. Ten Palestinians were injured in the course of attacking IDF soldiers, and one Palestinian was killed while firing on Israeli forces.
What do the headlines say?
A number of headlines and accompanying photographs have been misleading to the point of outright surreal.
For example, the International Business Times led with the words “Palestinian killed,” failing to mention that the Palestinian in question was killed while actively confronting IDF soldiers. Further, the headline says that by following their GPS, the soldiers had sparked a riot. In fact the soldiers did not “spark” anything but merely got lost. Armed Palestinians then initiated attacks.
The Guardian implied that Israeli soldiers’ use of an app is what led to a deadly fight. In fact, unprovoked attacks by armed Palestinians both led to, and directly caused, the deadly firefight.
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What is the Hannibal Procedure and why does it matter?
The rescue forces implemented “Hannibal,” a procedure designed to prevent Israeli soldiers from being kidnapped, even if the rescue puts the soldier’s life in danger. For example, if kidnappers are fleeing in a vehicle with their captive, it is permitted under the rules of Hannibal for rescue forces to fire on that vehicle, even though an IDF soldier is inside.
Hanibal has generated controversy in Israeli society because the procedure is potentially deadly to Israeli soldiers.
Some news sources, such as Newsweek, have referred to Hannibal as “controversial” and “deadly,” without proper context, thus implying that Hannibal is especially deadly to civilians (rather than to the very soldiers who are under attack) or that the procedure has generated significant controversy outside of Israeli society (it has not).
(Note: The code name “Hannibal” is a randomly chosen word that has nothing to do with the fictional villain “Hannibal Lecter” nor the ancient Carthaginian soldier.)
What additional context should I know?
The Qalandiya refugee camp is located in “Area A” of the West Bank, which is under Palestinian administrative and security control.
The Palestinian Authority is also responsible for police and safety throughout Area A. The Qalandiya refugee camp has a reputation for violence, lawlessness and terrorism, and Palestinian police typically make no effort to impose law and order, though Qalandiya is under their jurisdiction.
We have found this story in dozens of publications around the world, each with its own unique headline and photograph. Keep an eye on your local news source, and tell them that when Israeli lives are in danger, you expect to see accurate, responsible journalism. As always, if you see an especially biased news story, let us know!
Featured image: Tablet Vector from Freedesignfile.com with glass and fire Vector Art by Vecteezy.com
