Asked about the supposed bulldozing of Arab land, the IDF said it never happened.
On Wednesday, residents of Yitzhar in Samaria allegedly cut down 600 olive trees in a villager near Shechem and used a “chemical agent” to destroy the trees.
The IDF said it is checking out the above report, but as a former kibbutz and moshav farmer, this writer – yes, Virginia, there are journalists who also know how to work the land – can state that it takes more than a few hours to see evidence of a “chemical agent” unless the “settlers” used something that was leftover from Assad’s arsenal of chemical weapons.
In addition, if the trees were cut down, why use chemicals?
But if logic made a difference, the United States would have pulled its nose out of the Middle East decades ago, and Western media would understand the difference between an “Apartheid Wall” and a “security fence” as well as the differences between “refugee” and “victim of U.N.,” “Occupation” and “self-defense,” and “negotiations” and “April Fool’s Day.”
It is no wonder that the United Nations already has swallowed the lies to use against Israel, as The Jewish Press’ Yori Yanover reported here earlier today.
Be prepared for the day that the peace talk charades end and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas goes to the AP and Reuters with a pile of reports how Israeli soldiers and civilians are attacking olive trees and innocent Arabs.
Foreign media only have to turn to Haaretz, the bastion of left-wing hate of sellers, Orthodox Judaism and just about anything that reeks of giving Israel a Jewish identity.
The so-called newspaper headlined this week a scathing article that accused the IDF of covering up alleged attacks on olive orchards by settlers. It detailed, one by one, all sorts of supposed hatchet jobs by settlers.
The Jewish Press asked the IDF to explain, and it turns out that all of the Haaretz’s examples were based on an unidentified NGO. We don’t know if the source was B’Tselem or the International Solidarity Movement or seven a more sane organization, but it certainly was not first-hand investigative reporting.
The IDF told The Jewish Press, “The questions regarding the events which were published in the Haaretz article were originally sent to the IDF by an NGO. Therefore our answer must be given directly to the NGO rather than indirectly through the press.
“However, as part of the IDF’s and the Civil Administration’s preparations for the olive harvest, many requests by Palestinians to harvest olive trees within the seam zone have been authorized in coordination with the activity in the agricultural areas of the seam zone.
“In addition, representatives from the Civil Administration have met with their Palestinian counterparts ahead of time to coordinate scheduling for the harvest.
“The meetings have resulted in the coordination for over 70 different locations where possible conflicts may arise, to enable a successful and safe harvest. Moreover, security assessment meetings have taken place ahead of the harvest and additional forces have been placed at critical points. “
Remember all of the Reuters and AP reports during Operation Cast Lead, when they quoted “Palestinian sources” about IDF attacks on “civilians” who were playing soccer when missiles rained down on them? The soccer field turned out to be a camouflage of an underground missile launching system and the soccer players were terrorists.
Be prepared, because the European Union, the U.S. State Dept. and the major news agencies also do not know the difference between “journalism” and “incitement.”