Last week, the IDF carried out an unsuccessful mission to
eliminate Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who survived the
helicopter strike upon his vehicle in Gaza City. An
outpouring of media criticism has followed.
HonestReporting claimed that five media myths were
circulating among the criticism of Israel's actions.
Myth #1) Rantisi is not all that bad.
The Associated Press issued a lengthy, sympathetic biography
of Rantisi, described in the headline as a "pediatrician and
poet." The AP's Jayson Keyser characterizes Rantisi, who
"wears gold-framed tinted glasses," as a healthy, caring and
gracious patriarch of "six children and 10 grandchildren.
Fact: Rantisi, the "great family man," stated to the
AFP in August that he would encourage his own sons to become
suicide bombers. Rantisi has claimed responsibility for many
bloody Hamas attacks, including the Hebrew University
cafeteria bombing last summer. Prior to the Iraq war, Rantisi
called on Iraqis to carry out suicide bombings against US
forces.
Can one imagine AP describing so warmly a perpetrator of mass
terror against Americans?
Myth #2) Israel has undermined Abbas' effort to rein
in terror.
The New York Times predicts that the strike will "doom
any prospect of a cease-fire in the near future," and
Washington Post editors claim "the strike likely will
undermine Palestinian efforts to control terrorism."
Fact: Abbas has suggested only a "hudna" (temporary
cease-fire) with the terror groups, a frail approach which
Israel has consistently rejected. The road map itself demands
at this stage much more than a "hudna" -- calling on the P.A.
to "arrest, disrupt, and restrain" terror leaders.
As recently documented by The Washington Institute, Hamas
agreed to ten cease-fires in the past ten years, and after
every one of them returned freshly rearmed for terror. Why
should this time be different?
Myth #3) The timing of the hit indicates Israel is
trying to kill the peace effort.
The Globe and Mail called the strike "a direct
challenge both to peace and to Mr. Bush."
Fact: The IDF action was not intended to kill the road
map, but actually make the process possible. Consider -- had
the strike been successful, it would have strengthened Abbas
by removing one of his most ardent opponents, who condemned
Abbas' peaceful course, then directed Sunday's killing of
four Israeli soldiers, just days after the hopeful Aqaba
summit.
As Vice President Cheney expressed after the recent attacks
against Americans in Saudi Arabia, to bring peace, terrorists
must be eliminated: "The only way to deal with this threat
ultimately is to destroy it. There's no treaty that can solve
this problem, there's no peace agreement, no policy of
containment or deterrence that works to deal with this
threat. We have to go find the terrorists."
At the least, this attempted strike keeps Hamas leaders off-
balanced, on the defensive, and denies them the opportunity
to perpetrate attacks unhindered, which would ultimately
derail the peace process.
Myth #4) Israel has abandoned diplomacy in favor of
military means.
The Times of London headlined their report, "Roadmap
Left Burning on the Streets of Gaza."
Fact: On Monday, Israel began dismantling 14 illegal
settlement outposts, a tangible expression of its commitment
to moving the road map forward. Israel has always maintained,
however, that even as it fulfils its road map commitments, it
will continue to act against the terrorists and defend its
citizens if the PA does not take action. The PA has not
acted, the terror continued, and the IDF responded.
Myth #5) The consequence of the strike will be more
terror.
The Washington Post claims "it's not hard to imagine
the probable consequences of Israel's failed attempt
yesterday to assassinate Abdel Aziz Rantisi -- [Hamas] will
now launch a new terrorist onslaught at Israeli
civilians."
Fact: Israel currently has over 50 specific warnings
of planned terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens. This
figure existed on Monday, even before the attempted hit.
Never has Hamas indicated that their plans are anything other
than a "terrorist onslaught at Israeli civilians." Israel had
every reason to assume that Rantisi's terror activities would
increase; one Israeli official said "Rantisi was not just a
ticking bomb, but a factory of ticking bombs."
