It's Happening Again: The Media Can't Keep Tabs On Who Is Violating The Ceasefire

CAMERA writes that the media has no problem reporting on Israeli retaliation to rockets fired from Gaza, but the media does seem to forget to mention those rockets Israel is responding to: AFP Rewrites Post-Ceasefire Violence:

Agence France Presse (AFP) falsely claims today that until Israel hit Islamic Jihad fighter Ismail al-Ismar last night, Palestinian groups respected the truce. Ignoring Palestinian rocket attacks launched Monday (Aug. 22), AFP repeatedly rewrites the order of violent incidents that have been carried out since terror groups in Gaza agreed to an informal ceasefire Sunday, Aug. 21.

For instance, the article headlined "Islamic Jihad: 'We will halt rockets if Israel stops raids'" (12:49 PM GMT) echoes Islamic Jihad propaganda, with the reporter accepting as fact the group's false claim:

The truce announced on Sunday night by Gaza's Hamas rulers had been respected by militant groups until Israel chose to break it by hitting a car in southern city of Rafah, killing 34-year-old Jihad militant Ismail al-Ismar, [Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shihab] said.

Since that strike early on Wednesday, militants have fired at least 20 rockets into Israel and another seven Palestinians have been killed in subsequent Israeli air raids, raising to eight the total killed in the last 36 hours.

"The last targeting in Rafah started the new crisis, Israel broke the truce when they killed one of the local leaders of the Al-Quds Brigades. After that, the Brigades answered this aggression," Shihab told the AFP, saying a one-sided truce would not work. (Emphases added.)

If the idea of the media distorting who is breaking an Arab-Israeli cease-fire sounds familiar--it is because this is not the first time the media has unquestioningly adopted the talking points of Palestinian terrorists.

Back on December 25, 2008, Maan reported: Hamas: 87 shells fired at Israeli targets in 24 hours:

The military wing affiliated to Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades released a statement on Thursday morning briefing the group's military activities over the first twenty four hours of an operation they called "Oil Stain" which started Wednesday morning.

So on Thursday, December 24, 2008--3 days before Operation Cast Lead started--Hamas was already bombarding Israeli civilians with rockets and mortars.

But that is not the way the media would have you remember it.

The Irish Times wants you to think that things were quiet before Operation Cast Lead:

Tue 12 Dec 2008
Israel broke ceasefire by killing six
OPINION:IN JUNE, Israel agreed a six-month ceasefire with Hamas. Until December 27th, no Israeli, civilian or military, was killed as a result of rocket or mortar fire from Gaza.

None. Not one. And there was very little rocket or mortar fire out of Gaza until Israel broke the ceasefire in early November.

Apparently 84 shells in 24 hours is considered "very little rocket or mortar fire"

And CNN was no better. CAMERA reports that CNN's claim to fact check who broke the ceasefire falls short. Here is CNN's Rick Sanchez claiming to give the facts:

CAMERA gives additional sources proving CNN's failure to get the facts straight.

And now, here we are again--in an increasingly tense and unclear situation, and already there are signs that the media is incapable or unwilling to keep the facts straight.

And if the media cannot even keep tabs on who is firing at whom and when, how in the world is anyone supposed to rely on the media to get the facts straight if the situation worsens and a real war breaks out?

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza and Terrorism and Media Bias.