A Palestinian terrorist shot and killed an Israeli border policeman and two civilian guards outside the Israeli community of Har Adar, which straddles the Green Line near Jerusalem. A fourth Israeli is currently hospitalized in moderate condition. The Palestinian was killed by responding security forces.
According to media reports, the 37-year-old Palestinian, Nimer Mahmoud Ahmad Jabbar, was a father of four from a nearby village and had a permit to work in Har Adar. After arousing the suspicion of the guards, Jabbar pulled out a pistol, hitting his victims at close range.
For the Daily Mail’s Mail Online, however, the use of scare quotes around “terror attack” appeared to question whether this was actually what occurred.
Shortly after HonestReporting contacted Mail Online, the scare quotes were removed.
In addition, the murdered Israelis were not soldiers but a border policeman and two of the community’s private security guards. HonestReporting has also requested a further correction.
CROSSINGS AND CHECKPOINTS?
Har Adar is a quiet little village just beyond the Green Line in an area that has rarely witnessed any tensions or violence. The gates to Har Adar were not about restricting Palestinian movement but allowing Palestinians to work in an Israeli community in an area characterized by peaceful relations. CNN‘s headline, however, refers to a “West Bank crossing.”
The attack took place at the entrance to a civilian community and not a West Bank security crossing. By implying that the location was the equivalent of a border crossing or checkpoint, CNN has not only committed a factual error but has also changed the context of the attack in the mind of the reader. This is similar to the way that the media focus on Har Adar as a settlement contributes to some form of “justification” or explanation for a terror attack of this nature.
While the New York Times‘ report on the attack included welcome context concerning the peaceful nature of the area and the coexistence between Jewish and Arab communities, both the headline and the story referred to the attack taking place at a “West Bank checkpoint.”
Again, a reference to a checkpoint diminishes the fact that this terror attack was aimed at an Israeli community where the attacker, who was known to the residents of Har Adar and was heading there when this attack took place.
Ultimately CNN and the New York Times may both claim that there is nothing technically incorrect with their references to crossings or checkpoints. Nonetheless, in a situation where nuance is frequently lacking and terminology is often abused, this becomes important.
Featured image: Israeli security at the scene where a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on Israelis at Har Adar, September 26, 2017. Photo by Hadas Parush/FLASH90
