By viewing these two incidents in such close juxtaposition, one gets a dramatic sense of media bias against Israel.
Here’s how CNN reported it:
“Israeli forces were on high alert Monday following the Sunday deaths of a radical Jewish settler activist and Thabet Thabet, a senior official of Arafat’s Fatah political movement.”
According to CNN, the Jew is radical settler, while the Palestinian is a senior political official.
In truth, the IDF identified Thabet as the secretary general of the Tanzim in the Tul Karm area. Tanzim is the militarized Palestinian group responsible for much of the recent attacks against Jews. The IDF said that Thabet personally ordered the attack last month near Shevei Shomron in which two Israeli civilians and two soldiers were wounded, one seriously. Thabet was also responsible for numerous other shooting attacks by Fatah activists in the area, and was involved in planning bombing attacks.
Further, what was the Palestinian motive for killing Kahane? Simply because he was a Jewish civilian traveling on the road. Yet the media lumps the two events together, effectively equating the ambush of an innocent Jewish civilian with the targeted strike against a Palestinian terrorist!
Now let’s look at this week’s events as reported in The Washington Times, under the headline: “Ambush kills Israeli radical Kahane.”
“Binyamin Kahane — the son of the late ultranationalist Rabbi Meir Kahane — was gunned down along with his wife, Talia, and children by a Palestinian in the West Bank. The attack, coupled with the killing hours later of a top Palestinian activist by Israeli soldiers, drew calls for vengeance on both sides. Thabet Thabet, a senior activist in Mr. Arafat’s Fatah faction, was gunned down yesterday outside his home in the West Bank town of Tulkarem.”
According to this report, the Jew is radical ultranationalist, while the Palestinian is a senior activist.
The Washington Times humanizes Thabet by mentioning he was killed “outside his home.” CBS News goes one step further, humanizing Thabet as a “49-year-old dentist.”
HonestReporting encourages activists to monitor and respond to these attempts to equate Israel’s right of defense with Palestinian aggression. If you feel the story is biased, send your complaints and thoughts to the editor.
Thank you for your ongoing involvement in the battle against media bias.
HonestReporting.com
To the Editor of The Washington Times
[email protected]
I read with curiosity your article about the recent Mideast killings.
Why do you refer to Kahane (the Jew) as a “radical ultranationalist,” while Thabet (the Palestinian) is a “senior activist”?
As a major news organization, do you know that Thabet was secretary general of the Tanzim in the Tul Karm area? Thabet personally ordered the attack last month near Shevei Shomron in which two Israeli civilians and two soldiers were wounded, one seriously. Thabet was also responsible for numerous other shooting attacks by Fatah activists in the area, and was involved in planning bombing attacks.
Is there a particular reason why the Washington Times is giving “kid gloves” treatment given to the terrorist Thabet and his violent Tanzim organization?
Further, I question your “equating” these two killings, as if it were tit-for-tat. The Palestinian motive for killing Kahane was simply because he was a Jewish civilian traveling on the road. Is this not different than a targeted strike against a Palestinian terrorist who ordered recent attacks against innocent civilians?
I believe I have raised some serious points, and I look forward to your reply.
