The International Business Times reports on the sentencing to death of four Palestinians by a Hamas military court on charges of spying for Israel.
It includes this piece of historical revisionism:
Hamas rules the Gaza Strip after winning an election against the rival Fatah party, and fought against Israel alongside the Islamic militant group in a seven-week summer war against Israel in 2014.
It’s probably bad copy-editing that missed what most likely should refer to “the Islamic Jihad militant group.” The rest of this sentence is a result of sheer ignorance.
Did Hamas really gain control over Gaza through winning an election?
In fact, Hamas launched a coup in June 2007, overthrowing Fatah’s executive authority by armed force and executing Fatah members, including throwing them from high buildings.
The IBT’s statement contributes to the myth of Hamas as the legitimate ruler of Gaza.
There’s more inept journalism in the concluding paragraph, which explains how Hamas is wary of potential spies and gives the following example:
in August 2015, Hamas captured a dolphin equipped with spying devices, including cameras, off the shore of the Gaza Strip.
In reality, Hamas claimed to have captured a dolphin yet offered no evidence. The IBT, however, reports the incident as fact, adding undeserved credibility to the growing list of animals accused of operating on behalf of Israel, including Mossad sharks, vultures, kestrels and eagles.
Is this what constitutes professional journalism?
You can ask the IBT to correct its errors by writing to [email protected]
