The New York Times' Ethan Bronner did an excellent job on the shooting of Tristan Anderson, getting a good-sized story on to page A7 of the Times. As for Haaretz, it refers to the story prominently on the front page of its print edition and also runs a sizable piece on the atrocity. No surprise: this is an important story.
And The Washington Post? Three paragraphs on page A11.
The Washington Post editorial page's angry view that the Israel lobby is a "crackpot" conspiracy theory is undermined by the newspaper's wretched coverage of Jim Crow in Palestine. It continually underplays or fails to cover news of the Israeli landgrab that is destroying the two-state solution and turning young Americans of conscience like Tristan Anderson and Rachel Corrie into Freedom Riders. When the history of this oppression is written, we will recognize that writers like Alison Weir and Anna Baltzer did far more than the leading newspapers to educate Americans about a simple fact: the degree of Israeli colonization of the West Bank.
(That said, let us celebrate Walter Pincus's pretty darn good story about the lobby and Chas Freeman in the Post the other day.)
-
-
- US to differentiate between ‘personally displaced’ Palestinian refugees and their … 11
- Bob Simon misses the story on Tel Aviv 11
- ‘This is not fair play’: Mahmoud Sarsak’s family demands his … 0
- Senate fight today over the number of Palestinian refugees 9
- Turkish prosecutor recommends ten life sentences for Israeli generals behind … 14
- Day after pogroms, Likud MK calls for internment camp for … 55
- Munayyer in the ‘NYT’: ‘For all the talk about shared … 8
- ‘Obama will only go as far on Iran as AIPAC … 25
-
- BDS victory: South Africa strips Ahava’s ‘made in Israel’ label 709
- ‘New York Review of Books’ calls it ‘apartheid’ and prepares … 565
- Video: Israeli mob demands all African refugees be deported from … 428
- Neverending Nakba: Israel breaks lull, attacks Gazan farmers 411
- March of the Flags 329
- Neocons in Washington Post: Military strike on Iran would ‘calm … 296
- Nabi Saleh’s Bassem Tamimi convicted by Israeli courts based on … 286
- International attention must be paid to the Palestinian nonviolent movement 219
-
- The Messiah’s Donkey: Settlers fire on Palestinian villagers as the … 235
- Aharon Appelfeld’s rage at the German language (and Arendt’s need … 156
- March of the Flags 124
- Feeling the hate in Long Island 97
- Israeli judge to issue verdict in Rachel Corrie case 94
- WaPo’s Walter Pincus says US is ‘going above and beyond … 87
- Video: Israeli mob demands all African refugees be deported from … 85
- Bill Kristol celebrates Republican Party purge of ‘oldfashioned Arabists’ Scowcroft, … 83
-
Recent Comments
click link to see last 100 comments- Senate fight today over the number of Palestinian refugees (9)
- Passive-aggressive George Bush namechecks neocons for getting us into that mess (65)
- Annie Robbins: No sweat. Time for horseshoes! i love you phil weiss. have i told you that lately? ;)
- Annie Robbins: As for Powell, I can believe he would say something like that. That a well-read and more scholarly...
- Annie Robbins: The prime mover argument, as I’m sure you know, is one of the arguments for the existence of God. God...
- A portrait of a former Zionist (Part 1) (318)
- Hostage: Hostage, This event happened 10 years before the second intifada began. On the contrary, your post here...
- Annie Robbins: 5. No imposture. You can use any pseudonym you like, but if you represent yourself as someone...
- US to differentiate between ‘personally displaced’ Palestinian refugees and their descendants (11)
- Michael Levin: A good time to revisit the video “Which Side are You On, Kirk?”:...
- Video: Israeli mob demands all African refugees be deported from the country (and anyone who disagrees deserves to be raped) (85)
- Bumblebye: George Monbiot seems to be bewildered by the recent attempts to downplay or write off the genocides in...
- Bob Simon misses the story on Tel Aviv (11)
- Daniel Rich: @ Fredblogs, Yes, and a suicide-bomber only trains once. Hey, my illustrator warp tool is broken, can...
Our Writers
More WritersBlogroll
Good to report. Bad to misrepresent.
"Shooting story".
The description of what occurred is that the IDF shot teargas canisters from a hilltop an unspecified distance away (presumably more than a couple hundred feet) randomly, and Tristan accidentally got hit in the head.
The IDF intention was to shoot the cannister to disperse the crowd, according to the report, but NOT intended to kill (as your headline infers).
If the facts are presented accurately, then there can be a reasonable subsequent discussion of the significance and context.
If the facts are misrepresented, even in headline, then we start from falsehood.
"The army spokeswoman said there were about 400 violent demonstrators at the village of Niilin, west of Ramallah, many of them throwing rocks at the troops. The forces shot back, she said, but not with live fire."
Any confirmation if this is true? Was it a non-violent demonstration, or a moderately violent one?
"The army spokeswoman said there were about 400 violent demonstrators at the village of Niilin, west of Ramallah, many of them throwing rocks at the troops. The forces shot back, she said, but not with live fire."
NY Times article referred above
"The Israel Defense Forces spokesperson's office said the area where the protests take place is a closed military zone off-limits to demonstrations. It added that demonstrators hurled rocks at troops, who used riot gear to quell the unrest.
The IDF said further that the "protesters violated an injunction issued by a major general and were endangering security forces."
Ulrika Jenson, an International Solidarity Movement activist, said troops fired tear gas canisters into the crowd from a hill above. "
Haaretz article referred above
Richard, please, stop annoying Phil's Phools with the truth.
witty – i am sure the israelis would prefer no demonstrations take place anywhere near israel and that the prisoners go back to behaving in their prison cell…
The IDF shot somebody.
They say it was, 1) an accident, 2) they shot because the protesters ignored an "injunction" by no less than a Major General.
If the intention was to disperse but not to injure, they obviously failed to accomplish their mission.
What caused the failure?
Poor discipline? Poor leadership? Poor training?
If you shoot somebody you have to take some of the responsibility for the incident, you can't say "Oh well, it was just one of those things", and forget about it.
It suggests that the IDF lacks the ability to correct its own behaviour, that it is frozen by dogmatism, a sure sign of an organisation that is on the decline.
Time will tell, I suppose.
I'd like to know more about the rock throwers that always provide an excuse to retaliate. They are not always (ever?) what they seem.
link to philipweiss.org
"The army spokeswoman said there were about 400 violent demonstrators at the village of Niilin, west of Ramallah, many of them throwing rocks at the troops. The forces shot back, she said, but not with live fire.
Ms. Anderson estimated the crowd at 200 and said that by the time Mr. Anderson was hit, the crowd had largely dissipated. "
Earlier it says people threw rocks at troops on a hill above them. Scary–people throwing rocks uphill. There must have been scores of casualties.
And Witty, you forgot to mention that there is one claim that the crowd had largely dissipated when the tear gas cannister hit. When we leave out facts it misrepresents the situation and we start from falsehood. Also, wouldn't one assume that when you fire tear gas cannisters at a crowd, someone is likely to get hit?
@moonkoon
What caused the failure is probably the fact that this was a teargas canister, not a sniper bullet. How accurate could it be at the distance they were firing?
It is unfortunate that there is no way to disperse an uncooperative crowd of people that doesn't risk killing someone, but that's life.
Still, your view of Jews as superhumans who never hit anything they don't specifically intend to hit is pretty common in the anti-Semite crowd. That is how they manage to blame the Jews for every accidental death that happens in combat. Don't you know that Jewish bullets curve around human shields when the Jews aren't aiming at them. Oh, and we also have supernatural vision, so in a dark night, or with the sun in our eyes we never mistake anything for a gun when it isn't, or misidentify the source of fire. Which is why no Jewish soldier ever kills another Jewish soldier in a friendly fire incident. Oh wait, yes they do.
Could someone remind me what was IDF doing in the area in the first place and why would they stop the demonstration of Palestinians carried by them on the grounds of their own village?
I am so glad you continue to give that racist skank Witty free reign to crap all over your pages.
Exactly. Why are the IDF in that village? Not their land. Not their right to be there. They are breaking up a "riot" or "protest" – it's neither.
The IDF was trespassing and fired a tear gas cannister into the crowd to keep them in line while Israel continues to annex more Palestinian land.
I love how Witty has dispensed with the act and goes straight for the hasbara. You have revealed yourself to be nothing but a pathetic troll, scumbag.
@Thom: Tristan was shot by the new tear-gas canisters that can be shot up to 500m. The Israeli army began using to use a high velocity tear gas canister in December 2008. The black canister, labeled in Hebrew as "40mm bullet special/long range," can shoot over 400 meters. The gas canister does not make a noise when fired or emit a smoke tail. A combination of the canister’s high velocity and silence is extremely dangerous and has caused numerous injuries, including a Palestinian male whose leg was broken in January 2009.
would some of your ignorant posters please explain the term " palestinian land"
which treaty originated it? where it is registered prior to 1917 as "palestinian land "?
under the ottoman empire no arab was allowed to own land !
one of unanswered questions is why americans who have no vote in israel are there rabble rousing arab crowds?
why they believe ism is not an aider and abetter of terorism ?
another attempt to correct the ignorant posters is to explain that stones are not thrown as in baseball but whirled in a sling and released at great speed and force in the direction of the victim, they can kill or seriously injure someone.[ this is how david defeated goliath]
"stones are not thrown as in baseball but whirled in a sling and released at great speed and force in the direction of the victim"
As everyone knows who has witnessed or seen video of Palestinian youths throwing rocks, most of them are throw as in baseball, not "whirled in a sling". And just how dangerous are stones "whirled in a sling and released at great speed and force to tanks, armoured vehicles, and well-armoured soldiers standing 200 metres uphill, exactly?
"they can kill or seriously injure someone."
And exactly how many Israeli soldiers have been killed or seriously injured by stones thrown by Palestinian kids, again?
"this is how david defeated goliath"
Well, at least you admit that this is a David and Goliath situation. And we all know that David was the good guy.
victor
I would advise you to read the ICJ ruling on the illegality of Israel's apartheid wall. The highest judicial body on earth declared the whole of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem to be "Occupied Palestinian Territory." Israel is not entitled to one micron of it.
The matter is only "controversial" in the way that biological evolution is "controversial"—ie, to lunatics and liars.
witty
You say the tear gas canisters were shot DOWN from a HILLTOP on the crowd, and these people were said to be throwing stones — so they were throwing stones UP THE HILL. Some pitching arm they must have to put the troops in danger. I guess the Yankees should send some scouts out to the West Bank.
Tristan wasn't throwing stones. In fact, no one was throwing stones when he was shot.
Jonathan Polack, a left-wing activist who is sitting by Anderson's bedside at the hospital, said that the protestors clashed with the soldiers, but noted that "the firing incident took place inside the village and not next to the fence. There were clashed in the earlier hours (by the fence), but he wasn't part of them. He didn't throw stones and wasn’t standing next to the stone throwers.
Source: Associated Press
I didn't see the Huffington Post giving this story much space either.
From what I can see, this story is covered by a few news wire reports buried in the site and without a comments section.
Whereas an American girl was arrested in Iran, and that story was on the frontpage for a day or so and aquired a fair few comments.
As someone who was at the event, alongside Tristan much of the time, I think it's important to get the reality of this story out there.
I would first like to describe the context, so that people who keep making pseudo-ballistic judgments can shut up already.
This is a village that once had 57,000 dunams of land before 1948 and after repeated stealing of land by Israel will now see only 7,500 dunams remaining. These were stolen by a wall which has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice. This is a wall which the Israeli High Court has recognized for inappropriately stealing land for economic gain, rather than security. There are standing orders by the High Court to move the wall in some places, but there has been absolutely no enforcement – much like desegregation in the US.
The protest, which met in fields on the edge of the village, proceeded towards a road which has a barbed-wire barrier. This road is the construction area of the Wall. After about 2 hours of back and forth in the fields near the Wall, with the wall being about 1km from the village's edge, the army began to invade the village proper. This means moving from open fields with a view of the protest which had dispersed into the village, into the actual homes on the edge of the village. I personally saw a unit of about 6 soldiers take over a house which they used for a sniper post and a base of operations.
Mind you – after the protest is done, this is inside the village and there are people who have gone home by this time. The village is doing its daily business, cars are driving by, two horses galloped by at one point. A crowd was hiding from the invading army on a street – people sort of taking a look and shouting things to the invading army in Hebrew. Much cursing went on and people would occasionally throw a stone down the street at the phalanx of soldiers fully armed with armor, helmet, and face shields. The army repeatedly tear gassed into the center of the village on the main road. Concussion grenades were thrown in – at no point were these invading soldiers at risk of life, especially since they were acting offensively and pushing villagers further into the village.
At one point, about an hour before Tristan was shot, a sniper on a roof of a home that had been taken over shot Hamif Abdullah Amirah, 31, in the leg with a .22 Ruger rifle. I Was 2 meters from this when it happened. Following this, people moved furhter into the village away from that street.
Nothing happened for about 45 minutes and a group actually left the village. I went to go back home in Israel – and 10 minutes after I left, the army had pushed into another side of the village and were shooting at people.
The bullet used was a 40mm tear gas bullet – it's not a cannister that is lobbed, like the m204 launched tear gas grenade that comes out of the grenade launcher of an m16. This is a bullet that has 400m range and it explodes on impact with a small amount of chemical weapon. It's not smokey tear gas, it's a quick puff. It only disperses upon impact, unlike tear gas cannisters which deploy in middair to scare you away and help aid in running away.
This bullet makes very little noise and is made to be shot at a person – just not in the head.
The truth is that if it's intended to be shot at a person, has a 400m range, then this is a bullet. These weapons don't provide deterrent unless they hit something, just like bullets.
Face it – an American was shot in the head by the Israelis. Don't quibble and start dealing with the reality of this place. I suggest you entertain the idea that it's not an us v. them world and that Israel is a state that has managed to turn a terrorist movement into a political reality. It still has issues to deal with, don't be so naive.
amen, and remember, all USA taxpayers, you are paying for Israel's actions in every way possible. Hence, you are also guilty of them as an enabler.
Israel is merely trying to protect itself from Arab terrorist murders. The wall is a necessary protective measure to keep out suicide bombers and others bent on killing. The wall is actually working and that's why the terrorists are so incensed about it.
Anderson is of the same ilk as Rachel Corrie, another misguided soul who brought on her own demise while she was trying to aid the terrorists. In that sense, she was an accomplice to murder herself and I personally consider her a murderer and a terrorist by virtue of her activities. She stupidly (or deliberately) placed herself in front of a bulldozer in a way that prevented the driver from seeing her. I'm saddened by anyone's injury, illness or death but I have to say that she caused her own demise by her malicious, misguided acitivites.
Likewise, Mr. Anderson apparently did not consider that the rioters he was abetting could injure the police or other bystanders by throwing rocks. He apparently didn't consider that the wall they were protesting was made necessary by the Arabs' never ending attempts to destroy Israel and kill Jews. If he were really a "peace" advocate rather than an criminal terrorist supporter, he would have been trying to stop the riot. If he were really for peace he would try to get his Islamist buddies to recognize Israel and stop attacking it. A real advocate of peace would be helping to build the wall. Again, I am sorry he got hurt but his own misguided actions which caused this.
One rarely sees more perfect examples of Karma than what happened to these two.
Peace.