I respect the Middle East Children's Alliance. Two days after putting out a story of a Palestinian woman forced to choose which five of her 10 children were to die at Israeli soldiers' hands, MECA has expressed regret for doing so and says it is seeking confirmation of the story. I am sure Barbara Lubin could never have anticipated the response to her original report. I gather that in Bahrain Monday night she also apologized for passing along the rumor. Here is MECA's retraction, which of course emphasizes the truth of the situation: hundreds of children died, and many hundreds are badly injured and need your help. That is the horrifying truth of the matter. (Phil Weiss)
MECA:
Children's Alliance believe that we should have confirmed the story
about the Gaza woman who was told by an Israeli soldier to choose which
five of her ten children should die, and then witnessed their murder.
We are doing everything we can now to verify the story, but have been
unable to do so. We ask that you do not publish or post this story on
the Internet. If you have already done so, please post this statement,
as well.
Barbara Lubin went to Gaza
to deliver four tons of medicine and other aid to the people there.
When she arrived in the immediate aftermath of the Israeli assault the
scene she encountered was chaotic and the people traumatized. She heard
and retold many horrifying accounts, and saw for herself the
devastation to homes, schools, businesses, land and lives. In these
catastrophic circumstances, it’s not difficult to see how Barbara would
find this story credible. Unfortunately, we sent it out before taking
the time to verify it.
We know that several hundred children
lost their lives in the assault, and that some appear to have been shot
at close range. There are reports of family members being shot in front
of each other. Israeli forces entered Gaza homes and apparently used
people as human shields. Israel
is now being investigated for using unconventional weapons like white
phosphorous and dense inert metal explosive (DIME).
All
of us at MECA are committed to accuracy as we relate the stories of
what we see when we travel to Palestine. We will keep you informed
about what we learn.
Doctors at a hospital near Gaza are almost
overwhelmed by the number of Palestinian children needing treatment for
bullet wounds to their heads.
