Media roundup: Questions raised by death of a Palestinian boy
By Amir Mizroch   April 27, 2001


The questionable objectivity of Intifada reporting
Air strikes and Ovadiah Yosef’s beard
Erez gunfire and Khan Yunis ground action

On Monday Mohannad Nizar Moharib, a twelve-year-old Palestinian boy from the Al-Amal neighborhood in Khan Younis, was tragically killed while attending a funeral at the Khan Yunis cemetery near the settlement of Neve Dekalim in the Gaza Strip. Moharib was hit in the head by a bullet probably fired from an IDF position guarding the settlement. According to IDF regulations, soldiers guarding settlements are not allowed to initiate shooting attacks against Palestinians, but are required by regulation to return fire if fired upon.

At Monday's funeral a Palestinian honor guard fired a 21-gun salute as a sign of respect for their fallen comrade, a fellow Force 17 officer. An IDF spokesperson told the Associated Press that bullets fired at the time of the 21-gun salute started hitting the Neve Dekalim settlement, and the IDF guard post adjacent to it. In response, IDF troops returned fire in the direction it was coming from -- the Khan Yunis cemetery.

Palestinian boy shot during funeral
"As the body was being lowered into the ground at the Khan Yunis cemetery, next to a Jewish settlement, Palestinians fired 21 shots into the air as a sign of respect, said Eyed Saadoni, a teacher. The Israeli military said the shots were directed at the settlement, drawing return fire."
The Associated Press

Comment: The original AP news article is well balanced because it gives both sides of the story. The following examples from the world press have been taken to show how the same story has been manipulated and changed.

"Israelis shoot dead 12-year-old Palestinian boy"
"As the body was being lowered into the ground at the Khan Yunis cemetery, next to a Jewish settlement, several dozen Palestinian gunmen fired 21 shots into the air as a sign of respect, said Eyad Saadoni, a math teacher who was present. In response, bursts of gunfire came from the direction of the nearby settlement which is protected by an Israeli occupation army post about 500 meters away, said Saadoni and other witnesses".
Jordan Times

Comment: Although quoting Agencies in its story, the Jordan Times leaves out the part about the Israeli military saying that the 'sign of respect' was aimed at the Jewish settlement.

Army 'opened fire'
"Witnesses said hundreds of mourners were marching in an orderly fashion in the funeral near Khan Yunis when a traditional mourning volley of gunfire was released. Israeli troops then opened fire from an army post about 500m away. The 12-year-old boy was shot in the head and died."
BBC

Comment: The BBC does not even mention that there was a Jewish settlement in the area.

"Palestinian gunmen fired into the air during the funeral procession, which traveled the streets of Khan Younis to the cemetery, near the neighboring Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim. Witnesses told the news agency that the gunfire that killed the boy came from the direction of the settlement. Eleven people were wounded."
CNN.com

"As the body was being lowered into the ground at the Khan Yunis cemetery, next to a Jewish settlement, several dozen Palestinian gunmen fired 21 shots into the air as a sign of respect, said Eyad Saadoni, a math teacher who was present. As the [IDF] gunshots rang out, Palestinian mourners scattered in panic, with women and children running barefoot through the sandy streets, many seeking shelter in abandoned buildings."
CBS News

Comment: What about the several dozen Palestinian gunmen? Did the CBS reporter lose sight of them, only seeing the panic stricken, barefoot women and children? Actually, the gunmen made their way to the District Coordinating Office at Neveh Dekalim and opened fire at IDF forces inside.

"The Israeli troops stationed inside Neve Dekalim settlement, fired massive machinegun fire towards the funeral, killing Mohannad and injuring 13 Palestinians, 2 of them in serious condition"
Palestine News Agency

"Dozens of guns held aloft towards a cloudless sky open fire simultaneously in honor of the martyr Madi Khalil Madi, 25, killed by the Israeli army. No sooner has their salvo been discharged than a crackling of small caliber arms can be heard. "That is the Israelis, they are very close," says an old man. When the shooting stops, there is another dead body in the small cemetery - that of Mohannad Muhareb, killed by a bullet in the head."
Islam Online

Comment: For 'cloudless sky' read 'cloudless sky over Neve Dekalim.'