Sunday, July 11, 2004
Palestinian terrorists set off a metal-packed bomb at a bus stop today, just days after the ICJ gave moral backing to Palestinian violence by choosing to involve itself in a political dispute contrary to the wishes of most Western Democracies. [Do you find that framing of event a bit agenda-laden? It is. The press always provides a framework and background along with reporting the simple facts of an event, and this background information is often where the media's agenda shines most strongly. That first sentence is what I believe to be the correct framework for viewing this event.] Unlike many prior attacks, this was not a suicide attack, but instead the bomb was set in the bushes near the stop. They must be running out of "volunteers."
I thought it was interesting to note the difference in how the event was portrayed by the left-of-center Israeli paper Ha'Aretz, and how it was portrayed for the international audience by Reuters. I saw the Reuters article at Yahoo first, and didn't get the idea that it was so bad. Yes, one person killed, but it could have been much, much worse. It certainly sounds as though it's a minor thing, not worth any punitive action, or the building of a fence, or the infringements of anyone's rights - just an unfortunate incident.
Note the headline:
Reuters: Tel Aviv Bomb Kills 1, Proves Barrier Need - Sharon
That silly Sharon, only one person killed! Get over it.
That's the first paragraph, then it's all Sharon and the "wall" It's not until the 10th paragraph we get back to what the blast was like:
"I heard a massive explosion and ran to the scene," said Hagit Cohen, who lives one block away from the bus stop. "I thought it was the end of the world."
And that's it. But don't worry, Reuters tells us:
Without, of course, reminding us that one of the main reasons this was the first attack in months is because of the fence itself. Foiled and prevented attacks are not news.
Now compare that portrayal to the Haaretz story. Even I didn't snap out of it (thinking "it's not so bad") until I saw the Haaretz portrayal:
Haaretz: One killed, at least 20 hurt in south Tel Aviv terror attack
The bombing was the first in Israel since March, when two suicide bombers slipped out of the Gaza Strip and killed 10 Israelis in the southern port of Ashdod.
Five of the wounded sustained moderate-to-serious injuries.
Israel Radio reported that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades - the armed branch of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement - claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the bombing avenged "assassinations" of two top Brigades commanders and the killings of other Palestinians in IDF incursions in Gaza and the West Bank this year.
Following the attack, police closed off a large section of the street - a main thoroughfare in the city - and scoured the area for additional devices. Several Palestinians in the area who lack authorization to be in Israel were briefly detained.
"I heard a massive explosion and ran to the scene," said Hagit Cohen who lives one street away from the blast. "I thought it was the end of the world."
Shutters on the building adjacent to the blast were torn off and windows in shops, homes and a bus shattered over the sidewalk and street...
...Eyewitness Shlomi Ben-Amo told Israel Radio, "I was driving to work when I heard the boom. A female soldier flew in the air. There was hysteria and everything flew into the air."
Magen David Adom emergency services said most of the injured were only slightly wounded. Four people have been evacuated to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, five to the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon and three to the Tel Hashomer Medical Center in Ramat Gan.
According to one of the passengers aboard the bus, 25-year-old Yarden Brihon from Bat Yam, the force of the blast knocked several people to the floor.
"I saw a pregnant woman fall over; she was hurt," added Brihon. "The driver opened the doors and everyone managed to get off the bus. The blast happened a second after we pulled into the bus station."
Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim said that it was likely that Palestinians who planted the bomb slipped into Israel from the West Bank in places where the separation fence has yet to be constructed...
