NYT/IHT Remake of a Hamas Militant
Over the weekend, the New York Times and International Herald Tribune incorrectly reported that a Palestinian casualty was a civilian, completely ignoring Israeli claims and independent evidence to the contrary. Jerusalem bureau chief Steve Erlanger reported:
During the [Nablus] operation, one Israeli soldier and two Palestinians — one gunman and one civilian — were killed.
CAMERA contacted the papers, pointing out that the Israeli army maintains that both Palestinians killed were militants, and that other news agencies such as AP and UPI reported the discrepancy in claims.
Furthermore, Ha’aretz reported that “Palestinian sources said Salim was, however, ‘a Hamas member.'” Even more compelling evidence of Salim’s status as a militant comes by way of the photographs of his funeral, such as the one above, in which he is wrapped in the Hamas logo.
Thus, while it is disputed whether or not Salim was involved in fighting at the time of his death, even Palestinians acknowledge that he was a Hamas member, and therefore not a “civilian.”
Instead of issuing a correction, the NYT and IHT printed a story today by Isabel Kershner which ignores yesterday’s misrepresentation, but includes the Israeli army’s version of events:
The Israeli Army said upon investigation that both the Palestinians who died were gunmen. No civilians were killed.
But why should anyone believe the Israeli army over the “Paper of Record”? The only way to fix the situation is to print a clarification explaining that while Palestinians say one of the Palestinian casualties from Nablus was not involved in fighting when he was killed, the Israeli army disputes this. Furthermore, the slain man was a Hamas member, and therefore not a civilian.
Anything less is a copout.
More from SNAPSHOTS
Double Standards: Boycotts and Discrimination in MassLive
May 16, 2025
Anti-Israel activists, including Harvard University’s Lara Jirmanus, a clinical instructor, seem to struggle with the concept of “discrimination.” Quoted in a May 14 MassLive article, “Harvard ‘failed to respond’ to 450 discrimination complaints. Staff hand-delivered [...]
Swarthmore Students Are Learning: It Was Never About Palestinian Rights
May 14, 2025
Students at Swarthmore College are so close to understanding the conflict. An article in the Swarthmore Phoenix details the frustrations of student activists with the college’s Students for Justice in Palestine. The gist of their criticism is [...]
AFP Arabic Stops Mislabeling Northern Israeli Communities ‘Settlements”
August 10, 2021
A view of Metulla, northern Israel (Photo by Hadar Sela)After failing to set the record straight last May when Agence France Presse's Arabic service repeatedly referred to Jewish communities in northern Israel as "settlements," the [...]
NY Times Praises Ilhan Omar’s Book While Glossing Over Her Antisemitism
August 19, 2020
A recent New York Times book review boosts Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) autobiography while glossing over her antisemitism. In the paper’s Aug. 16, 2020 edition, NYT reporter Christina Cauterucci writes: The memoir offers breathing room [...]
When TV Interviews of Ilhan Omar Constitute Journalistic Malpractice
August 11, 2020
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) documented animosity toward Jews and Israel was ignored in recent interviews by MSNBC and C-SPAN. MSNBC’s The Beat for July 23, 2020 included host Ari Melber’s 10-minute conversation at 6:16 [...]
Boston TV Station WCVB Teamed Up With Terrorist Supporter CAIR
July 7, 2020
WCVB-TV (channel 5) (Boston’s ABC network affiliate) recently misled area viewers about a matter involving antisemitic propaganda. This occurred on its local Sunday show Cityline hosted by Karen Holmes Ward who is described by the [...]
Harper’s Magazine Echoed Palestinian Propaganda Condemning Israel And America
June 2, 2020
Writing in Harper's, Kevin Baker condemns the U.S. Middle East peace plan [“The Striking Gesture,” Easy Chair, May 2020], mischaracterizing it as, “Give up all your [Palestinian] hopes and your holiest places, embark on a [...]