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A letter to AP

Dec 28, 2003 7:26 am By Robert Spencer

A letter to AP was recently sent to Jihad Watch from the author of the Letter to Reuters:

“Dear Editor:

“Your ‘Year in Photos’ has six glaring omissions, therefore, six major distortions. You chose 6 photos depicting ‘Palestinian’ suffering at the hands of Israelis but none of Israeli suffering at the hands of ‘Palestinians.’ I call them six distortions because they convey the false message that ‘Palestinians’ suffer and that Israelis are the cause. They omit the reality that Israelis are the victims of ‘Palestinian’ attacks and are trying to defend themselves. They omit the truth that if the terror ceased, the Israelis would be out of their face in almost no time.

“You might have attempted a little reality just to create the impression that you worried about that other false concept: balance. But, being journalists, I don’t have to lecture you about your job. You know your responsibilities. You also know the truth but you prefer to conceal it. The fact is, there is no ‘balance’ on the two sides. The ‘Palestinians’ promote, enthusiastically support and carry out terror against Israelis. Their own polls indicate that their support for terror is a societal phenomenon. You prefer to conceal the barbarism of the perpetrators by portraying them as victims.

“Still, for the sake of presumed ‘balance,’ you might have at least indicated that the ‘Palestinians’ contribute a little something to their misery by making Israelis miserable as well. You might have shown images of Jewish children dying in their strollers, for example, bombed out buses with the remains of scattered schoolwork, or destroyed restaurants splattered with blood or body parts. Actually, for this latter image, you could have appealed directly to the Palestinian Authority. They gladly would have obliged you with photos of their traveling exhibit of the Sbarro Pizza Parlour bombing! They are proud of it, you know. They actually took it on an international tour. You might have caught that one. You say you missed it? Sorry, I don’t mean to tell you how to do your job.

But, your silence tells me you don’t care for that idea. Well then, try this angle: Displaying photos of Israeli medical teams saving the lives of terrorists alongside their Jewish victims. And what about Arab and Christian victims of suicide bombers? It does happen, you know. After all, Arabs and Christians ride Israeli buses, go to restaurants, etc. If you don’t wish to emphasize Jewish suffering at the hands of ‘Palestinian’ terrorists, why not Arab and Christian suffering? There is no such thing as a ‘smart’ suicide bomb, you know. The shrapnel goes everywhere. One of the most dramatic images I have ever seen, and one you, apparently, missed, is an x ray of a victim of a suicide bombing. These make great works of art. They are innovative as well. Nothing like them has ever been seen before in history! Imagine, a human brain, kidney or heart studded with nails, nuts and bolts–the shrapnel shows up very well in print and could have made a dramatic impression. The only thing you can’t see is the rat poison. But, best of all, you cannot tell from the film if the victim is Arab, Jewish or Christian!

But, if you only want to focus on ‘Palestinian’ victimhood, here’s another idea: ‘Palestinian’ victims of summary execution by ‘Palestinian’ police. Their tortured and mutilated corpses are displayed in public– to serve as an example to others– and you can even photograph them with toddlers at play in the foreground. And, if you want to appeal to your feminist readers, why not a photo of a victim of an honor killing or a mutilation? The husband, brother or son who wielded the knife or vial of acid would not shy away from being photographed with his victim. He would, no doubt, however, insist on wearing his black or other colored mask in case he turns out to be a person of note. Still, it would be a poignant photo. Actually, you would have two victims: 1) The victim of the execution; and 2) The executioner. Yes, he is a victim too! His evil wife, mother, sister or cousin victimized him by tarnishing his honor. In killing her, he made a personal sacrifice to restore honor to the family name. So, not only is he a victim, he is a martyr! Moreover, the mask is a badge of courage and comes in handy for other activities as well. Trust me, you are missing some great photos! But, if you really want to score with the feminists, you can get photos of women executioners, too, like the one of the mother who killed her daughter for being raped and impregnated by the girls two older brothers. If you had been quick on your feet, you could have gotten her to pose with the corpse. Once she killed her daughter, the neighbors started talking to her again, so she is considered a heroine in her village. A photo would have done her proud. The point is, there is no shortage of subject matter and if you like depicting ‘Palestinians’ as victims, you needn’t confine yourself to the suffering inflicted upon them by Israelis.

But, forgive me, for I digress. In fact, this is nothing but talk. You are not going to take my suggestions to heart. Why risk being accused of conspiracy in a Zionist plot to depict ‘Palestinians’ as terrorists and Israelis as victims? Much too dangerous. You know what almost happened to the Italian journalist who smuggled out the film of the two Israelis who were torn to pieces by the victimized ‘Palestinian’ mob a few years ago. She had to flee for her life! The Italian TV station that employed her subsequently issued a letter of apology to the Palestinian authority for having broadcast the incident. The Palestinian Authority actually printed the letter in the government-controlled press! You didn’t know that? Come on! You’re journalists. It’s your job to know! You say you didn’t?

Incidentally, there was a great photo of two Arabs displaying the entrails of their human prey before a frenzied, hysterical mob going wild at the sight of Jewish blood. Now that was a winner! You missed that one too? Oh well, whatever….

P.S. If you would like to know why I surround the word ‘Palestinian’ with quotation marks, here are a few reasons:

The Palestinian Identity

Statement by Zuheir Mohsein, Member of the Supreme Council of the PLO:
“There are no differences between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. We are all part of one nation. It is only for political reasons that we carefully underline our Palestinian identity, because it is in the interest of the Arabs to encourage a separate Palestinian identity in contrast to Zionism. Yes, the existence of a separate Palestinian identity is there only for tactical reasons. The establishment of a Palestinian state is a new expedient to continue the fight against Zionism and for Arab unity.”

Trouw (Dutch newspaper) March 31, 1977:
“One always finds in Palestine Arabs who have been in the country only a few weeks or a few months…Since they are themselves strangers in a strange land, they are the loudest to cry: ‘Out with the Jews!’…Amongst them are to be found representatives of every Arab country: Arabs from Transjordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, the Sudan and Iraq.” (Ladislas Farago, Palestine at the Crossroads (New York: Putnam 1937) p17

The Jordanian Foreign Minister said (Adwa’min pp. 4-5):
“Jordan is Palestine and Palestine is Jordan, and Jordan hails every Palestinian who seeks to do his duty to his cause and his country.”

Declaration of the 8th Palestinian National Congress:
“Jordan is linked to Palestine by a national relationship and a national unity forged by history and culture from earliest times? The creation of one political entity in East Jordan and another in Palestine would have no basis either in legality or as to the elements universally accepted as fundamental to a political entity.” (R. Hamid (ed.) Muqararat al-majlis al-watani al-filastini 1964 Resolutions of the PNCs 1964-1974, Beirut, PLO Research Centre, 1975, p178 Declaration of the 8th Palestinian National Congress)

“This (Jerusalem) for them (the Arabs) was not in ‘Palestine’? For the Arabs (And the Turks) the whole of the region lying between the Taurus Mountains and the confines of Egypt, and between the Mediterranean and the edge of the desert, was ‘Syria’ a term which had been in use since remote antiquity.” (Sir Geoffrey Furlonge, Palestine is My Country, The Story of Mussa Alami (New York, 1969) p. 7

Abdul Malik Dahamshe, an Israeli Arab Knesset member, said at a solidarity visit in Damascus, Syria [David Makovsky, Jerusalem Post, January 24, 1995]:
“Palestine and Syria are one homeland. The Arab people will win by the
sword; the victory will be won by the Jihad of the Arab world.”

Statement by Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi to the Pell Commission in 1937:
“There is no such country as ‘Palestine’; ‘Palestine’ is a term the Zionists invented!”

Arab MK, Abdul Darawshe said [Jerusalem Institute of Western Defence, Bulletin 3, August 15, 1997]:
“There is no difference between one Palestinian and another. We are all
Palestinians and we are all Syrian Arabs.”

Statement by Ahmed Shuqeiri, to the UN Security Council in 1949:
“It is common knowledge that Palestine is nothing but southern Syria.”

Salah Khalaf (Abu Iyad) number two in the PLO leadership (Al Sachrah, Kuwait, Jan. 6, 1987):
“We will take Palestine and turn it into a part of the greater Arab nation.”

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Filed Under: Israel, journalistic bias, Palestinian Authority, United States


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